


frozen eyes but a warm heart

by littlekittenhui



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Curse Breaking, Curses, Developing Friendships, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, I'm making this sound worse than it is, M/M, Magic, Magical Realism, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Worth Issues, Witch Curses, Witches, i just love angst, there are a lot of happy moments too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:42:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlekittenhui/pseuds/littlekittenhui
Summary: junhui had accepted that he was always going to be alone; he knew that there was no way around it anymore. sometimes, he wondered if it was better to live like this.until a bright voice called out to him.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 39
Kudos: 128
Collections: ENFANT D'ÉTÉ - ROUND 1





	1. child of fortune and misfortune

**Author's Note:**

> not going to give myself away, just hoping that anyone who is reading this will enjoy it and that the person who prompted this will be pleased with it ^-^
> 
> enjoy~

__________________________

Junhui had been blessed.

He was born into a loving family. He was talented at many things, be it piano, acting, or sports. And most of all? He was incredibly handsome. Even from a young age he was born with large, almond eyes, heart-shaped lips, and a slim figure-- He was definitely blessed. 

Junhui was a young child when it happened. He had been on set for a movie he was filming, a horror film. The scenes had been going well, as Junhui was incredibly convincing as his character. The directors, as well as the other actors had been praising the young boy all day, charmed by his skills as well as his sweet personality. Most people who met the young actor initially thought he would be a diva, as he had been in the spotlight from the age of two. Yet, none of that exposure had seemed to affect him in the slightest. He had always been courteous to everyone on set, whether it was the director and actors, or the staff who doted on him. 

Junhui was a playful kid, giggling as he ran around the set and convinced the older actors to give in to his whims. The rambunctious five year old had been exploring the forest the movie was taking place in when he discovered a small cave, hidden by the foliage that had overgrown around it. Ever-curious, Junhui quickly made his way down the slope and swiped away at the greenery covering its entrance. 

The cave wasn’t what Junhui had expected it to be. Where he had thought there would be a few animals inside that might be looking for shelter, there were actually quite a few unexpected items. First, there was a makeshift bed, as well as some food and other personal items. Junhui surveyed the makeshift room, wondering who could be living in the cave. It wouldn’t be very safe, for one. They were in a more remote location of the forest, as to not disturb anyone. 

As Junhui wandered around the space, he noticed an orb, glowing mysteriously. The young actor had never seen anything like it, a material he never could have imagined. It shone so bright. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame, Junhui made his way over to the ominous object, and reached out to touch it. He just couldn’t resist, it was as if the light was pulling him in.

Right before he could even place his little hand on the ominous object, a shrill voice interrupted him.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my home?” 

Junhui turned to the source of the voice, eyes widening in fear as an older woman made her way over to him. Her appearance was one out of a kids show; her face was scrunched together with anger, while she donned dark clothing. Junhui felt a chill go up his spine, alerting him that he should quickly make his exit. As he tried to mutter an apology and scurry out of the cave, the woman grabbed his arm, continuing, “Are you here with that accursed filming team? You’re one of those spoiled brats, aren’t you? Did you touch my things? A little brat, going through someone else’s home and messing with them!” 

Junhui quickly denied her accusations, trying to explain that he hadn’t touched anything and was just trying to go back to set, when she pulled him to look directly into her eyes. Junhui could only stare back at her helplessly while she said, “Brats like you need to be taught a lesson! I’ll give you a special present, since you seem to want something so badly.” 

Whatever the woman had done to Junhui, it left the boy dazed, causing him to fall onto the ground. Junhui could only gasp for his breath, as his vision spun and he tried to rid his mind of the fog that had taken over. As Junhui tried to gather his bearings, the woman spat, “You seem like the type of kid who likes attention, right? Well, now you’ll never be able to be in the spotlight again, you’ll never be able to live normally, just like I am not allowed to. I’ve had to bear this for years, and finally, I have someone to share the burden with. You’ll become just like me, brat, just you wait and see.” And with that, the woman exited her dwelling, making her way deeper into the forest. Junhui could only watch helplessly as she escaped, before stumbling after her. The young actor maneuvered his way out of the cave, before collapsing again. 

When Junhui had come to, he quickly realized that someone on set must’ve found him and brought him back to the trailers. Junhui looked around slowly, trying to comprehend what was being said to him.

That’s when it happened. 

“Junhui! Are you alright? What happened?” One of the assistants asked him. This one had been particularly fond of the child actor, and had nearly had a fit trying to locate him. Junhui stared at the man in the eyes as he continued to scold him, pulling him into a sitting position as he continued, “How did you even get down there? It was so steep, you could’ve gotten really hurt! Thankfully, you don’t seem to have any injuries. Thank god you’re-“ Suddenly, the older man froze, body stiffening as it had begun to engulf Junhui in a hug. Junhui watched in horror as the man’s body began to turn into ice and his eyes glazed over, almost as if he had turned into a statue; all the actor could do was stare at him in horror, as the room around him began to descend into chaos.

Junhui was quickly pulled away from the now-frozen man, as other production crew members began to touch his frozen skin and see what had happened. The entire crew was shocked at what had happened, not knowing how to explain it. Meanwhile, all Junhui could do was stare at his now statuesque friend in fear. Had he caused this? As his mind began to spin, he suddenly recalled the woman’s words: “Well, now you’ll never be able to be in the spotlight again, you’ll never be able to live normally, just like I am not allowed to.”. Was this what she was talking about? What had she done to him? How was this possible? Was he the cause of this? 

More staff members began to swarm Junhui, checking on him as they tried to make sense of the chaos. Junhui looked wildly at each of them, trying to focus on their words while he began to spiral. Yet, the longer he stared at one person, the more dread that filled his chest. Finally, he settled on one of the actors who had doted on Junhui the entire shoot. The young girl tried to comfort him, wiping the tears that were unconsciously streaming down his cheeks. She pulled him close to her, before staring into his large almond eyes, and asking, “Are you alright, Junnie? It’s okay, don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re safe here, okay? It’s going to be-“ 

Junhui could only watch in terror as her eyes widened and her skin began to freeze over, her hold on Junhui loosening a bit as she had started to pull away when she felt her body stiffen. The room went silent has they all saw her fall into the same state as the production assistant. Junhui felt his blood run cold at the realization that this was his doing, the thought of him doing this to the people close to him making him sick. He began to look around the room, searching for comfort in someone, when the rest of the adults in the room began to scream and cower from the six year old. Junhui could only watch helplessly as they began to ran away from him, ignoring his cries and confusion. As one of the other actors ran from the room, he screamed, “This kid is a fucking witch! There’s something wrong with him! He’s the devil!” 

Junhui had been blessed, truly. With a loving family, incredible talent, stunning looks. He had been gifted. 

That didn’t stop the boy from being cursed, at the young age of five. 

After the whole fiasco on set, Junhui had been immediately rushed to a medicinal doctor by his parents, who had gathered what had happened from frightened staff members. While they did hold onto their son, his parents refused to meet his eyes after deducing the cause of their son’s abnormal powers. They had quickly explained to anyone who came into contact with them to not look at Junhui’s eyes, as well as telling Junhui to keep his eyes down. Once they were able to see the doctor, the man did a few tests on the traumatized child, who had not said a word since he had been picked up by his parents. 

After a few hours, the doctor concluded that Junhui had most likely been cursed by someone who had made it so that when Junhui looked into someone’s eyes for too long, he would freeze them. The reality of the situation seemed so farfetched, Junhui’s parents tried to reason with the man, explaining that it couldn’t be possible. While the doctor tried to comfort his hysterical parents, the situation began to set in for Junhui. He would never be able to look at anyone for very long. He would never be able to look at his parents again. His baby brother. His friends. He would never be able to be on camera again. How would he go to school? How could he make friends? How was he supposed to get married? How was he supposed to keep living? 

As his parents tried to console their son, crying as they tried to say comforting words to him, Junhui could only stare numbly at the floor, the hateful words of the woman ringing in his ears.  
  


Years later, Junhui had grown into an even more stunning man. His features only became sharper as he aged, turning him into a leading figure. His tall stature, as well as his striking face was the talk of his school. The seventeen year old was constantly at the center of the gossip in the large school; yet, it was for different reasons than most expected. 

“Did you see Junhui today? A freshman tried to confess to him again, and he just shoved past her! He’s so rude, does he think that just because he’s handsome that he can just treat people like that?” A girl in his class whispered as he walked past, keeping his head down as he did so. Her friend quickly responded, “He’s always like that, and from what I heard, he always has been. He doesn’t talk to anyone, and has no friends. Apparently he used to be an actor when he was a kid, so now he thinks he’s too good for everyone else. He doesn’t even look at anyone cause he thinks he’s so superior. He rejects everyone who tries to talk to him, that’s why he’s by himself all the time. Honestly, he’s so arrogant, all he has going for him is that pretty face.” She sneered, glaring at the side of Junhui’s head. She was well aware that he could hear them, and he supposed that was the point; most people made it known that they despised him. Their school was constantly buzzing about how much of an ice-prince the teenager was; spreading rumors about him and his past. 

One thing Junhui would always be grateful for was that despite the despair Junhui had caused, the film crew had sworn that they would never speak of that day, and the film had quickly been cancelled. The team had made up an accident to explain away the deaths of the actress and the crew member, before they had all moved onto different projects. They all were afraid of what had happened on set that day, and left with the belief that if they didn’t speak of it, Junhui wouldn’t hurt them. 

While Junhui was thankful that he hadn’t been outed and put into a mental facility, or locked away for being a hazard to society, he still had to deal with the effects that the curse had on his everyday life. In the eleven years that had passed, Junhui had not looked anyone in the eyes for more than a quick second. He had not looked at his parents properly in over a decade, nor his little brother. The ex-child actor quickly secluded himself from society, not wanting to interact with others. The once vibrant, playful boy had been turned into a detached, silent hermit. Despite his voice not being affected by the curse, Junhui had refused to speak for weeks after the incident, and when he did finally begin to talk again, he only answered when spoken to. His parents watched helplessly as their excitable, loving son turned into a recluse. Junhui made his way through school without any friends, as he was too afraid that he would hurt others, giving him the reputation he had built to today. Despite desperately wanting to talk to others, desperately wanting to explain that they were wrong and that he really did want to be friends with everyone and wanted to be included, Junhui knew that he could never have that type of life anymore; his life had been over the moment he had stared into that woman in the cave’s eyes. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Junhui made his way to his next class, before sitting himself in the corner of the back row, his unassigned seat for every class since he was in middle school. Teachers knew by now to not call on the seventeen year old, as he would just stare at the desks. After the incident, Junhui’s parents had doctors write notes to his teachers, explaining that Junhui had a condition that made it difficult for him to respond to others and look them in the eye. Despite this, there were always a few professors who would call on him anyways. They would try to coax him into speaking and looking at them, only to get frustrated when he refused. 

No matter how much they punished him for lack of participation, Junhui had refused to give in, knowing the damage that he would cause if he did. His parents had already worked so hard for him the first time, he couldn’t do anything to jeopardize their situation now. A small voice in his head told him to do it anyways, so that he would get caught and taken away from his parents. Part of him knew that if he was away from them, they would be able to live normal lives and not have to worry about their freak of a son killing them or anyone else. He knew that without him, they could be happy and act like a true family with his younger brother. Yet, Junhui could never bring himself to do it. Not only did he not want to hurt anyone, but he also desperately wanted to cling to the warmth his family gave him. Despite his condition, his parents stuck by his side, unafraid of their son. They loved him in spite of his curse, vowing to stay by his side. The sentiment always brought tears to Junhui’s eyes, knowing that they loved him despite being a monster. 

Junhui continued to be lost in thought as his teacher began to rattle off announcements, before suddenly saying, “Okay guys, we have a new kid transferring into the class! I know it’s the middle of the year, but I expect you guys to welcome him and help him out if he needs it. Why don’t you come in and introduce yourself?” 

Junhui could hear the door open and footsteps make their way to the front of the room, as well as the class whispering about the new student. A voice soon interrupted them, announcing, “Hi everyone, my name is Kim Mingyu!” Junhui was quickly able to tell that just from his voice, Mingyu was the bright-type; very talkative and cheery, able to make friends with anyone. He was also able to tell that he was handsome, if the whispering from the girls in the class were anything to go off of. Junhui began to tune out the professor again as he told Mingyu to take a seat anywhere he’d like, expecting the new student to sit next to any of the girls in the class, or to sit near the window to stare out of when he was bored.

What he did not expect, however, was to hear footsteps approaching, before they stopped at his desk. He did not expect for a hand to be thrusted into his field of vision. And what he really did not expect was for the new kid to plop into the seat next to him, before greeting him, “Hi! I’m Mingyu, nice to meet you! What’s your name?”


	2. is it really okay to start over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say Junhui was stressed out would be an understatement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone ^^ did you guess this was mine? I feel like it's quite obvious because of my writing style, but if it wasn't I'm happy to have tricked some of you hehe
> 
> first off, a huge thank you to the organizers of the junhui fanfest, it was very fun and organized!! next I want to thank the lovely soul who edited my WHOLE fic for me, @junchanist on twitter ;-; please go give her some love, she did so much for me in so little time, I'm truly grateful to her <3
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the rest of this fic, updates will be posted quickly!!

___________________________________

To say Junhui was stressed out would be an understatement. 

While Junhui had been able to get out of talking to the new transfer student in class because of the lecture, he wasn’t prepared for the boy to follow him, even after giving him the cold shoulder. The boy hadn’t been fazed by Junhui’s stoic nature. In fact, he seemed even more determined to talk to Junhui. Mingyu had been following him since their first class after realizing they had many classes together, trying to strike conversation with the ex-actor. No matter how obvious Junhui made it that he didn’t want to be around him, the boy only persisted. 

“So, where do you sit during lunch?” Mingyu asked, following Junhui into the cafeteria, “This place is pretty big, and I don’t really wanna sit on my own. It’s my first day, you know? Can I sit with you?” 

Junhui could feel the taller boy’s eyes on him, imploring him to say yes. While some might feel pity for the new student, Junhui could only feel anger and confusion towards the boy. He couldn’t understand why Mingyu wasn’t leaving him alone, despite how hard he was trying to ignore him. But more than that, he was angry. Angry that this new student, who was apparently extremely handsome if the squeals around them were anything to go off of, was begging to sit with him. It was obvious that any of them would happily let Mingyu sit with them and keep him company, so why was he insistent about Junhui being with him? 

“Listen,” Junhui snapped, not caring about his cold tone or words, “I don’t want to sit with you. I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t know what your game is, whether you’re trying to sleep with me or you just think this is a fun joke, but I’d really appreciate it if you left me alone.” Junhui could feel the boy’s shocked eyes on him, causing him to sigh and softly ask, “Can you just leave me alone, please? I don’t want friends.” 

With that, Junhui walked off, sure that the new student wouldn’t follow after his harsh words. He was sure that in a few minutes, Junhui would be hearing more gossip about himself: about how he was rude to the new kid on his first day of school, and Mingyu himself would probably join in too. That’s how it always played out. Someone would try to get close to him, pretend to be kind and understanding. But when they saw how uninterested Junhui was, they would immediately begin to gossip behind his back. There were crazy rumors about the ex-actor circulating around the school: some about his past, others about his personality. Some of the more persistent guys and girls that Junhui had rejected even spread rumors that Junhui had used them for sex and then treated them coldly afterwards, causing even more students to detest him. And all the while, Junhui could do nothing but listen to the atrocious things being said about him, unable to do anything about it. Who would listen to him? He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was usually harsh words to make others leave him alone. He couldn’t blame people for believing the rumors about him. Yet, that didn’t make them sting any less.

Junhui was about halfway across the cafeteria, eyeing his usual spot, when a hand suddenly grabbed his arm, spinning him around to face the person who was holding him. At the shock, Junhui glanced up to see who it was, only to immediately drop his gaze when he realized what he had done. But the damage was done; he had seen the boy’s face. 

Mingyu was, in short, very handsome. He already knew that Mingyu was taller than him, considering that he could only see up to his chest when he looked straight on. He also could gather that Mingyu worked out, if his built sculpture was anything to go by. The new student also had a good taste in clothes, judging by the outfit he was sporting. But seeing his face was a completely other thing: his sparkly eyes, chiseled jawline, his sharp eyebrows. The boy looked like he walked out of a magazine. His looks were so surreal, they had actually stunned Junhui into looking at him for a second before he realized what he was doing. Junhui’s head swam as he replayed the boy’s visual in his head over and over, before the taller spoke, “I’m not trying to bother you. I’m sorry if I’ve been annoying you, and if I’ve been imposing, I’m really sorry. But I want you to know I’m not trying to deceive you in any way. I’m not talking to you to try and sleep with you, or trying to play a joke on you. I just… I saw you were alone and wanted to see if you’d wanna be friends.” Mingyu said softly, staring at the top of Junhui’s head. 

Junhui flushed, before replying, “I’m sure you must’ve heard something about me, right? I don’t do ‘friends’. I’m not a good person, so you should really leave me alone like the rest of the school.” He tried to shrug Mingyu’s grip off of his arm, but the boy was stronger than him, making it almost impossible to do so. 

Mingyu tightened his grip slightly, before declaring, “I don’t care what the rest of the school does or has to say. I don’t need them to tell me who to be friends with or who to avoid. Plus, there’s no way you can be as terrible as you or anyone else thinks you are. If you were, you wouldn’t have let me follow you to our classes. You could’ve shaken me off at any time, or even yelled at me! But when I had to go to the bathroom, you waited outside for me so I could follow you to our next class. So no, I don’t believe you, Junhui. I don’t think you’re a bad person, and I don’t think you don’t ‘do’ friends.” His words caught Junhui off guard, not used to having someone challenge him the way Mingyu was. Junhui flushed, embarrassed by Mingyu’s ability to see right through him. 

“Something must’ve happened, right? That made you this way?” Mingyu asked, causing Junhui’s face to flood with alarm. He stuttered a bit, words failing him, before Mingyu quickly cut in, “You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I guess this whole thing is probably making you uncomfortable, huh? I’m sorry about that, I really am. It’s just... I think making friends isn’t as bad as you think it is. If you really want to be left alone, then I will. I won’t bother you anymore if you really don’t want me to. But, if there’s even a slight part of you that wants to be friends, I would really like that. I don’t know what happened to you, Junhui, but I don’t think it’s right for you to isolate yourself when there’s so much you could be missing out on. You should take a chance, if you can.” Mingyu said gently, smiling softly at the shorter boy. There was so much kindness in Mingyu’s voice, so much warmth and compassion directed at Junhui. It was a foreign feeling to him; not many people talked to him this much, much less were this kind to him when they spoke to him. Junhui couldn’t sense that Mingyu had any ulterior motives. He seemed to purely want a friendship with the ex-actor. 

Junhui’s mind spun as he thought about the new student’s proposition. Being friends with someone? Junhui had let go of that idea long ago, when he had first been cursed and had gone to school a month after the accident. He had quickly stopped talking to his friends, much to their confusion and hurt. He remembers how upset they had been, and how angered they were when Junhui wouldn’t even tell them why. He would ask himself that even after all this time, if they had wondered what had happened to make Junhui act that way. A few of them were also at this school. He wondered if they believed the rumors that were being spread about him, or if they had even spun some rumors of their own. 

Shaking himself out of that train of thought, Junhui thought about Mingyu’s idea of being friends. He knew that it was wrong for him to even consider it. Junhui knew what was best, and that was for him to be alone for the rest of his days. He knew what could happen if he wasn’t careful, and if he hurt anyone else, it wouldn’t only affect him. His parents and his little brother would be crucified as well. 

Yet, part of him yearned for this. He was starving for attention, for affection. It had been so long since he had had an actual conversation with someone who wasn’t his family. Junhui had missed so many experiences because of his curse, and it took a great toll on him. He craved companionship; someone to talk to and hang out with. He wanted it so badly, his body ached. 

Despite himself, Junhui insisted, “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Mingyu. We shouldn’t be friends. For both of our sake.” 

Mingyu ducked down, trying to meet Junhui’s eyes, only for him to turn his head away. Mingyu sighed, before smiling sadly, “Then why are you trembling? You don’t really mean that at all, do you? I can tell Junhui, you really do want to be friends with me, don’t you?” Junhui’s eyes widened, not having realized that his body was shaking a bit. God, how touch-starved was he really? Before he could come up with an excuse, Mingyu plowed on, “I get it, there’s something stopping you. But what if I show you that nothing can get in the way of us being friends? I’ll agree to any rules you want, anything you want me to do at all, as long as we can be friends.” 

Junhui couldn’t help but wonder. What would it be like, to have a friend after so many years? What would it be like, to have someone his age to talk to? To have someone?

Junhui let out a sigh, before shaking Mingyu’s grip off of him, “Rule one: don’t ask me about the past. I don’t wanna talk about it. Rule two: you can’t come home with me, ever. Rule three, don’t try and force me to have eye contact with you. Got it?” He said shakily, taking a step back and looking at the floor between them. 

Mingyu seemed to process the information slowly, before letting out a shocked ‘ah!’, and replying, “So it’s a deal?! You want to be friends with me? We can be friends?” While Junhui couldn’t see the way his expressions changed rapidly, he still giggled at the way Mingyu’s tone seemed to sparkle. He was so excited, and for what? Just to be friends with someone like Junhui? 

‘What a weird guy.’ Junhui thought briefly, before replying to the taller boy, “Yeah, we can be friends. But, if you ever do any of those things, I’ll never speak to you again. I’m not playing around, okay? Especially the last one, I’m dead serious about that one.” He said seriously.

“Okay! Sure, I got it, no looking into your eyes! I can do that. I’m just- I’m so happy right now. You actually agreed, I’m so happy!” Mingyu sing-songed, making Junhui giggle more. At the sound of his laughter, Mingyu perked up even more, “Ah, I made you laugh too! Today must be my luckiest day alive. I got the prettiest guy in the school to be friends with me and I made him laugh.” He teased, making Junhui blush a bit.

Junhui rolled his eyes, “I thought you weren’t trying to sleep with me.” He mumbled, staring at the ground. 

Suddenly, a gentle hand was ruffling his hair, “I’m not. I’m just happy is all, Jun.” Mingyu said softly, smiling at the slightly shorter boy. At the sudden affection, Junhui looked up at Mingyu’s face for a split second, before closing his eyes and relishing in the touch. He remembered being spoiled like this as a child, not having appreciated it enough as a young kid. Now though, he melted at the feeling. 

Chuckling softly, Mingyu teased, “You’re like a cat, you know? Pretending to be mean, but in reality you’re so soft and cute.” 

“Shut up.” Junhui huffed, smiling slightly at Mingyu’s chest. The sight warmed Mingyu’s heart, ruffling Junhui’s hair a bit more before grabbing his wrist. 

He pulled the ex-actor towards an empty table before declaring, “Okay, I’m starving now, so let’s eat!” Chuckling, Junhui only followed. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could have this. Maybe he could have this one thing; this one friend. Maybe, he did deserve one good thing in this world. After all this time, maybe it was possible that Junhui deserved a good thing in his life. And maybe, he would get to keep this one thing, this one person. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anyone who knows my writing, I'm sure you're not surprised by where this ended hehe  
> finally, junhui has some friends~ he deserves so much love and mingyu will be there to give it to him ^-^  
> I hope you guys are interested in more than just mingyu though, because the other members are tagged for a reason~  
> this fic is already completed, so updates will be posted frequently!! you don't have to wait more than a few weeks for the ending ^-^  
> I'm really curious what you guys think of this fic, the prompt was so interesting to me and I really adored writing this, so I hope I made the prompter proud ;-; (prompter, if you're reading this, please let me know what you think in the end)  
> leave any comments/criticisms below!! I love hearing from you guys ^-^
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


	3. old friends never really go away, do they?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a friend after twelve years was a very fascinating experience for Junhui. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone~ back at it with the newest installation of my baby ^-^ I actually adore this chapter so I hope that you guys enjoy it as well!!
> 
> thank you for reading~

_______________________________________

Having a friend after twelve years was a very fascinating experience for Junhui. 

It took a bit of time for Junhui to get used to their routine; Mingyu would meet Junhui at the gates of the school, always greeting him cheerfully, before they walked in together and went to their classes. They went everywhere together after Mingyu’s first day: classes, lunch break, even free periods. Mingyu continued to trail after Junhui, despite making other friends. Whereas Junhui thought Mingyu was likely to get bored of him but as the weeks turned into months, it was obvious that Mingyu and Junhui had become a couple, of sorts. 

Rumors began to spread quickly after their first interaction. Most had believed that Mingyu would have been scorned by Junhui and that he would be like the rest of them after his first day, if not his first week. Seeing that that wasn’t the case was jarring for the student population; some were curious about their relationship, others were jealous, and most were angry. More rumors began to circulate about the two friends: whether Junhui was sleeping with Mingyu, if Junhui was threatening Mingyu, etc. Despite this, Mingyu didn’t waver and continued to wait for Junhui in the morning and in between classes. Not once did he let those rumors about them bother him, much less pay attention to them.

Junhui, meanwhile, felt guilty that these things were being said about the taller male because of him but he was also relieved that Mingyu was unfazed by it and stuck by his side. Having a friend had been something Junhui had seen as being unattainable, and to now have it was indescribable. If he was to lose Mingyu to rumors, Junhui wouldn’t know what to do. 

Something Junhui hadn’t expected when he had allowed himself to be friends with Mingyu was that Mingyu’s friends came with him. Despite Junhui having told the taller boy that he only wanted to be his friend, Mingyu insisted that Junhui be around his new friends as well. At first, Junhui was incredibly uncomfortable and skittish, considering his background. He had been border-lining on a panic attack before Mingyu had pulled him away from the group, checking up on him.

“If you don’t want to be friends with them, that’s fine. I’m sorry for forcing you into something you didn’t want, that’s completely my fault, Junnie,” Mingyu said softly, gently patting the ex-actor’s head, “But, they are good people. They don’t care about the rumors, or your reputation. They want to get to know you too. I told them all about you, how you were so nice to me on my first day and how you’re nothing like what people say. A few of them even said that they’ve been going to school with you since elementary school, can you believe that?” Mingyu chuckled at Junhui’s shocked expression. He could tell that Junhui didn’t recognize any of them by voice, though it was unsurprising. He let out a soft sigh, before continuing, “I know you’re scared Junnie, I understand. But I don’t think it would hurt to just get to know them. If you decide you don’t want to be friends with them, that’s completely fine. But I think you should give them a chance. Okay, Junnie?” Junhui learnt very quickly that he was weaker to Mingyu than he wanted to admit. 

After an awkward introduction, Junhui found himself sitting with a large group of boys during his lunch period. Junhui managed to recognize a few names that were mentioned, as well as a few voices from his classes. However, the most shocking thing was a particular introduction he got.

“Hi, I’m Jeon Wonwoo. It’s fine if you don’t remember me, but we used to be-“ The boy started, only to be cut off when Junhui’s head snapped up to look at him. 

“Wonwoo?” Junhui said, startled. He took a quick look at the boy’s equally shocked face. Although it had been years, Junhui was quick to recognize the boy’s sharp features. He was rendered speechless... how many years had it been?

“What, you guys know each other?” Another voice, Soonyoung- if he remembered correctly, piped in. Junhui could feel everyone’s questioning gazes on him, none stronger than Mingyu’s. Yet, all Junhui could focus on was the boy standing in front of him. The one he hadn’t actually seen in years. 

“Jun and I used to be friends in elementary school.” Wonwoo said simply, taking all the eyes off of Junhui’s hunched-over figure. 

‘It was more than that.’ Junhui wanted to say, ‘It was so much more than that.’ Despite wanting to say something, anything, Junhui was unable to get any words out. 

Sensing Junhui’s sudden withdrawal, Mingyu quickly changed topics, bringing his friends’ attention to something else. While he chatted on, dragging the others into his antics, Junhui felt a light tap on his arm. He instantly knew who it was, turning his head slightly to indicate he was listening. A deep voice grumbled, “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. I won’t bring it up again. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. But Jun-ah,” Junhui could hear the smile in Wonwoo’s words as he spoke the next sentence, “I’m glad that you’re well. I’m glad that you have a friend again, even if it’s not me anymore.” 

Junhui didn’t respond, knowing that if he said anything, the other would hear his voice shake. He could only sit there, mindlessly listening to the others while they laughed and joked around. Not soon enough, the bell rang and the boys separated to go to their classes. Junhui quickly got up from his seat and ran for the door, not caring how it would be perceived. He heard a call of his name but refused to look back or wait for them. 

T he rest of the day consisted of Junhui spacing out, and in turn, ignoring Mingyu. While the taller boy continued to follow him around, he also understood that Junhui didn’t want to talk just yet, and let him brew in peace. 

It wasn’t until school had ended and the duo were making their way out of the school that Mingyu quickly dragged the ex-actor to the music wing, pulling him into a practice room where they wouldn’t be disturbed. Mingyu wasted no time, asking, “What happened, between you and Wonwoo?” 

Junhui was silent for a few moments, debating whether he was going to tell the truth or not, before realizing that if he didn’t say anything Mingyu might assume the worst in Wonwoo. Not wanting there to be any misunderstandings, Junhui took a deep breath before explaining, “Me and Wonwoo used to be friends. Best friends. We used to be inseparable when we were young, to the point that I had a plush and toothbrush at his house and he had his own slippers and set of pajamas at mine. He was really quiet as a kid and preferred to read or play video games, but he always played whatever I wanted to if I wanted to.” Junhui let out a little sniffle, heart hurting as he recalled their memories.

He continued, “When I was a kid I had a lot of friends, but Wonwoo was special. He didn’t treat me any differently; I was just me to him, and I was happy to be his best friend. Our parents would always joke that if we didn’t end up best men at each other’s weddings, we would both be the groom,” Junhui couldn’t help but chuckle at that thought; despite them being no older than five at the time, they both had fallen into a fit of giggles and had promised to marry each other. He remembered all the silly things they did and said, and how they always said that they would be best friends forever. Junhui smiled ruefully as he thought of what had happened next, not noticing Mingyu’s sour expression, “And then one day… I just stopped talking to him. He didn’t understand what was wrong; he kept following me around and asking me what happened. I just- I snapped. I screamed at him, telling him to get away from me and that I didn’t want to be friends with someone like him anymore. I yelled and yelled until my throat hurt. And then… I saw tears hitting the ground, and he ran off.” Junhui couldn’t help but choke up recalling the devastation he had seen in Wonwoo’s face when he had looked up briefly. Wonwoo had been so confused all day, asking Junhui if he was okay. The younger boy had been so worried for him, and it broke Junhui’s heart that he had to pull away from him, despite not wanting to. Wonwoo had been an important figure in Junhui’s life; he was Junhui’s best friend. To have to lose that had not only crushed Wonwoo, but it broke Junhui’s already fragile heart. He couldn’t remember how long he had cried when he had gotten home: only remembering his sobs and his mother’s tear-soaked blouse. 

“Did you do that for the same reason you don’t make friends now? Was that the start of this?” Mingyu asked suddenly, bringing Junhui out of his grief-stricken state. Junhui just nodded slowly, not able to find his voice. Mingyu hummed at his answer, thinking for a minute before responding, “Well, it’s obvious from your expression that you regret it. From your own words, anyone can see that you cared about Wonwoo a lot, and that you wish you were still friends. Why don’t you try to be friends again, Jun-ah?” 

Junhui sighed at Mingyu’s innocent question, “I don’t think it’s possible, Mingyu-yah,” Junhui whispered, his strength gone, “He probably hates me now. I made him cry. I said so many terrible things when all he had ever done was make me happy. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever known, and I ruined all of that without ever turning back or apologizing. He can’t forgive me, Mingyu.” Junhui couldn’t ever turn back time and make it so that he didn’t hurt Wonwoo, so he didn’t dare dream of being friends with him again. It was a silly dream; someone like him could never have a friendship like that again. 

Suddenly, a pair of hands were gripping Junhui’s shoulders, making him turn his body to face Mingyu. Surprised, Junhui glanced up at Mingyu’s face, only to see his determined expression before looking down at his torso instead. Mingyu questioned, “How do you know that, Jun? Did you ever ask Wonwoo if he hated you?” Junhui shook his head slowly, before Mingyu pressed on, “I don’t think he hates you, Jun-ah. Before I brought you to meet them, I told them about you. Wonwoo didn’t seem to be upset or anything; if anything, he was curious about you. I think he still cares for you, Jun-ah. Yeah, you might’ve hurt him, and I think you should apologize if you feel bad about it. But he’s hasn’t been holding a grudge. He’s been defending you, Jun.” At that, Junhui’s eyes widened, before he glanced up again. 

“What do you mean by that? Defending me?” Junhui asked, heart pounding in his chest. 

Mingyu let go of Junhui’s shoulders, instead sliding his hands down Junhui’s arms and holding his elbows, “Whenever anyone is saying anything bad about you around him, he defends you. He’s not that obvious about it, but he stands up for you every time. Wonwoo really cares about you, Jun-ah.” Tears began to cascade down Junhui’s face as he thought about their situation; despite everything Junhui’s done, Wonwoo was still there for him and protecting him. Seeing his tears, Mingyu softened his voice, wiping away a few of Junhui’s tears before gently saying, “I don’t think it’s fair to either of you to not try and talk again. You’re important to him, Junnie, and it’s obvious that he’s important to you too. Even if you can’t go back to what you were, you both deserve closure. And if a friendship can come from that, then isn’t that okay?” 

Junhui considered it through his tears: was it okay for him to be this selfish? He had been the one to hurt Wonwoo, not the other way around. Even if he was trying to protect his most special person, it didn’t give him the right to hurt him. Even if what Mingyu was saying was true, did Junhui really deserve all these good things so suddenly?

“Jun,” Mingyu startled him out of his thoughts, “Can you answer this question for me? Do you miss him?” Junhui let out a few sniffles, before nodding his head and answering with a small, ‘yeah’, making Mingyu smile, “Then, doesn’t that give you your answer?” 

  
_______________________________________   
  
  


That’s how Junhui found himself standing in front of Wonwoo, who was looking at him with a curious expression.

Mingyu had asked Wonwoo to meet him in the parking lot before school for Junhui. Despite his fears that Wonwoo would leave once he realized that Mingyu wasn’t there, Wonwoo stood still in front of the trembling ex-actor, waiting for him to say something. 

As much as he had tried to prepare himself for this conversation, Junhui was still a fearful mess as he stood before his ex-best friend. Many thoughts raced through his head as he thought about what Wonwoo was thinking about right now. Knowing he couldn’t stall for much longer, Junhui finally spoke, “I know you were expecting Mingyu, but it’s just me. I’m sorry for having him deceive you, I just didn’t know if you’d show up if I asked to meet you.” Junhui’s soft voice floated in between the pair, so airy and light that the words would be missed if not listened to carefully. 

Junhui continued, “I know that maybe you don’t want to hear this from me. Maybe you never want to hear from me again, and if that’s the case, that’s fine. I won’t bother you again if that’s what you want. I just- I owe you an apology. What I said back then was uncalled for, and I know I hurt your feelings. I can’t tell you why I said those things, but my reasons were selfish and I’ve regretted it since then. You were always so kind to me, and you’ve even been kind to me after everything I’ve done. I never deserved someone like you in my life. I wanted to say: I’m so sorry for hurting you back then, Wonwoo. You didn’t deserve that from someone you trusted; you deserved so much more. I’m sorry I just kicked you out of my life with no explanation and I made you feel like that. I’m truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. I can’t take it back, but I can at least tell you that you were an amazing best friend and you deserved better.” Junhui breathed out as he spoke his last words, feeling a weight come off his chest. He had been carrying around this burden for as long as he could remember, and to finally apologize, even if it wasn’t accepted, felt relieving. 

Wonwoo’s deep voice startled Junhui, “You confused me a lot back then, Junhui. I didn’t get what was going on, and you hurt me really badly with what you said. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong to make you say those things, and your words made me feel small,” Wonwoo’s words made Junhui’s chest ache, though he knew that this was how the conversation would go. However, he hadn’t expected what Wonwoo said next, “But I realized that it wasn’t just me. You shut everyone out after that day. I don’t know what happened, and you don’t have to tell me, but something about you changed after that. You weren’t the Jun I knew anymore, and I didn’t know what to do. I just assumed that you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore, so I kept my distance.”

He kept explaining, “I thought that even if you didn’t want to be friends anymore, you must have had a reason. And yeah, it hurt me that you didn’t tell me, but I could get it. After that, my mom asked me if I wanted to transfer to a different school, since she knew I was really upset about it. But I told her I didn’t want to and I wanted to keep going to the same schools you did.” At that, Junhui looked up briefly in confusion, seeing the small smile on Wonwoo’s face. For a second, Junhui was struck by how handsome Wonwoo had become; he had been a cute kid, but he was a very striking person now. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Junhui looked back down before asking, “Why? Why did you want to keep going to school with me?” His head tilted to the side slightly, resembling a kitten.

“Because,” Junhui could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, “I thought that maybe you would come back to me eventually. Maybe it would take a while, but I figured there was a chance that you would change your mind and talk to me again. Even as we got older, I still thought that there was a chance that you would want to talk again, so I thought it was better for me to stay around. I wasn’t sure if or how it would happen, but I hoped that if you needed someone to talk to one day, you would feel okay with having me around to talk to.” 

Junhui was stunned into silence at Wonwoo’s confession. All he could do was stare at the ground, not knowing how to reply. Wonwoo had been thinking about him like that? He had been worrying about Junhui all this time? After everything, he still had considered Junhui’s feelings. Wonwoo had noticed Junhui’s behavior and had thought that a time would come where he would need Wonwoo’s company again. And he had just: waited. Just in case. 

Tears began to slip down Junhui’s cheeks as he choked out, “How? How could you have thought about that when I threw away everything? How could you still care about me, after all this time?” Slowly, a gentle hand entered Junhui’s vision, Wonwoo’s thumb wiping at his face to rid it of tears. 

“I did that cause you were my best friend, Jun. I cared about you back then, and that didn’t fade because you cut me out. I loved you a lot, you know? Besides, I knew you still cared about me. Back then, you would sometimes stare at me during class and then immediately look away when I looked back. You were so _not_ subtle as a kid. I knew that it was you who put a scarf in my cubby when I came to school without one for a few weeks cause I lost mine. I knew it was you who left flowers at my house when my grandma died a few years after that. You weren’t as careful as you thought. So yeah, you did hurt me and I didn’t know why. But I also knew that you weren’t heartless and that you cared for me, so I accepted it and waited. And I’m glad I did now, because I finally get to talk to you again.” Wonwoo said softly, smiling at the top of Junhui’s head. Wonwoo had been able to wait this entire time because he knew that Junhui still cared for him, and that had made it worth it. 

Junhui sniffled, “Now I really know I don’t deserve you.” His sudden statement made Wonwoo laugh, his deep chuckling making Junhui smile as well. Junhui continued after giggling a bit, “I can’t say sorry enough. I can’t show you how much I regret it. But I can say that I did still care for you all this time. I missed you a lot, Wonwoo.” 

“I did too, Jun-ah-” Wonwoo said, trying to continue, before Junhui cut him off. 

“Wait, please. I need to say something,” Junhui waited for Wonwoo to prompt him to continue, “I know that I hurt you. I know I was wrong, and that I don’t deserve your kindness or anything that you’ve done for me over the years. I don’t deserve your loyalty,” Junhui took a deep breath to calm himself, before asking, “But would it be okay if we could try to be friends again? We don’t have to if you don’t want to be, but… I would really like to try again. I want to try to be more open and to stop shutting myself away. After becoming friends with Mingyu, I realized that maybe it was okay to want something like this, and that I could have something like this again as long as I tried my best. I want you to be the first person I ask to be my friend. I want to start over with you, Wonwoo-yah.” Junhui shut his eyes, fearful of what Wonwoo’s answer was going to be. He had worked up his nerves to ask Wonwoo to be friends again for days. Junhui knew that deep down, he had missed his best friend more than anything, and desperately craved to have that again. With Mingyu’s encouragement, he had finally opened himself up to trying to have friendships, starting with his ex-best friend. Now all he could hope for was Wonwoo’s acceptance. 

No words were spoken for a few moments. Silence enveloped the pair, only their breathing could be heard. Opening his eyes, Junhui had expected this. He knew it was too good to be true, that Mingyu was too much of an idealist. Braving a glance at Wonwoo’s face, Junhui was dumbfounded. Wonwoo wasn’t looking at him, instead looking to his side, eyes misty. He had a fist brought to his mouth, covering his shaky lips. 

“Wonwoo?” Junhui whispered.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Wonwoo warned, still not looking at Junhui. While his gaze was not on Junhui, the ex-actor was able to get a better look at his old friend. He noticed that the years had been kind to Wonwoo, and that he wasn’t as much of a stick as he had been as a child. Wonwoo looked good, healthy, and that thought alone brought a smile to Junhui’s face. Before he could wonder about Wonwoo’s years without him, he continued, “I wasn’t expecting you to ask me that. I thought I was gonna have to be the one to ask if we could try to be friends again, and even then, I was sure I was gonna get rejected. You only recently became friends with Mingyu, so I didn’t want to push you. I’m- I’m glad. I’m really glad he came into your life, Jun-ah. Because of him, you’re letting me back in. I’m really happy.” Wonwoo turned back to face Junhui, whose gaze lingered on Wonwoo’s face for a split second before he looked away. He was in a daze, not having expected any of this: Wonwoo’s willingness to listen to him, his acceptance and kindness, his friendship, his tears. 

“Mingyu… he opened my eyes a lot. He made me realize a lot of things I was missing out on. That I only had to put myself out there a little for people to accept me. I was scared that no one would want to be friends with a kid who can’t even look at their face. Mingyu was the one who made me realize that if you put yourself out there, that people would be willing to comfort me and accommodate me. He’s really… special to me.” Junhui said softly. Wonwoo chuckled at that, confusing Junhui, “What?” 

Smirking, Wonwoo replied, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the kid and I’m grateful that he’s done so much for you. But he’s like a walking safety hazard. It’s hard to imagine him being this good at helping anyone,” Junhui giggled at Wonwoo’s words, before he continued, “And it sounds like you and Mingyu are a bit more than friends. He must be a really _special_ friend to you if he could break through your barriers, huh?” Wonwoo teased, making Junhui whine. 

“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about, you nerd.” Junhui pouted, causing Wonwoo to chuckle, before Junhui laughed as well. He felt so much lighter after talking to Wonwoo and getting everything off his chest. To be able to joke around like this with his old best friend made Junhui emotional. He had never thought this day would come, believing it was only a dream. 

Suddenly, a bell rang out, alerting them that school was starting. The two looked at each other briefly, before Wonwoo looked away, facing the school. 

“Well,” he said softly, smiling, “Shall we go? I’m sure Mingyu’s dying to know what’s going on. I know we have a lot of catching up to do, but let’s start with getting to know each other’s schedules, huh?” Junhui couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face, his whole body glowing.    
  


“Yeah, let’s go together, Wonwoo-yah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now junnie has another friend!! I really wanted jun not to solely rely on mingyu and to have other people in his life, which is why I think wonwoo's character is important (also wonu is the bestest friend always looking out for junnie ;-;)  
> I really loved writing this chapter and writing wonwoo's character, to the point where I kind of wanted to make him the romantic interest hehe but we'll see what happened with that~  
> anyways, please let me know what you thought in the comments!! your comments really give me the motivation to keep writing ^-^
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


	4. just because you change, doesn't mean everything can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui’s life of solitude drastically changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone ^-^ I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, I was swamped this week with work and didn't have time to upload ;-; please forgive me, I'll make sure I upload the next chapter sooner!!
> 
> enjoy~

________________________________

Junhui’s life of solitude drastically changed.

After rekindling his friendship with Wonwoo, Junhui had been elated. The two became almost inseparable after their conversation; the duo catching up and filling the familiar spots in each other’s lives. With Wonwoo and Mingyu’s encouragement, Junhui even began to let their other friends into his life. At first, Junhui was incredibly shy around them, knowing that they must have heard his rumors. He felt relieved when Soonyoung had told him, “None of us care about that shit. Wonwoo always told us it wasn’t true anyways.” Junhui couldn’t help the swell in his chest as he thought of his best friend defending him, despite it all. 

Slowly, Junhui had integrated perfectly in their friend group, talking more and more as time passed. The other ten boys were incredibly understanding of Junhui and made him feel at ease with them, something Junhui thought he would never be able to experience again. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming when he sat with them at lunch, joking around with Seokmin, or talking softly with Seungcheol. It was truly a mystery to Junhui how he had managed to luck out and befriend the sweetest group of guys. 

“You know, you look a lot happier these days,” Wonwoo said lightly, walking with Junhui to the convenience store nearby to buy some snacks. 

Junhui snorted, “As compared to what? When I had no friends and everyone avoided me like the plague?” Wonwoo shoved him at that, laughing at the older boy’s self-deprecating humor. Junhui let out a few giggles as well, delighted that he could still make Wonwoo laugh like when they were younger. 

“Fuck off, yes compared to that,” Wonwoo chuckled, “I just meant that I’m happy for you. You’re a lot happier now that you have people around you. I knew you would be, of course, you’ve always been an attention whore, but I’m glad you’re finally indulging yourself.” Junhui whined at the insult, pouting at the bespectacled man, who just laughed. Wonwoo continued, “I’m really glad, you know. That Mingyu came to this school and forced you to open up. But why did it take a new student harassing you to make you open up?” He asked, genuinely curious. 

The ex-actor pondered his question for a moment, before replying, “I guess cause he didn’t know me at all. He had no preconceived notions about me and no ulterior motives. Mingyu has… a nice aura around him. He kind of radiates a gentle energy, you know? Like a puppy,” Wonwoo snorted at that, Junhui elbowing him lightly before continuing, “He was just… really sweet. He made me feel safe, if that makes sense? I don’t know. He was also really fucking insistent that I be his friend, so maybe I said yes to shut him up. At least, that’s what I’m gonna tell him if he ever asks me about it.” Wonwoo genuinely laughed at that, making Junhui laugh as well. If he was honest, Junhui would always be grateful to Mingyu for changing his life. Before Mingyu, Junhui had assumed he would live a life in solitude; he would never have another friend, much less a partner or family. Everyday had seemed bleak for so long, it had become his normal. Mingyu had turned his world upside down, completely shaking it. There was so much more color with him in it, as well as their other friends.

“You know,” Wonwoo said, breaking Junhui out of his train of thought, “If I didn’t know any better, I might think that you had a crush on our friendly giant.” 

Junhui sputtered, “What- what are you talking about?” Junhui glanced at Wonwoo’s face, trying to decipher if the younger boy was teasing him or not. 

“You were just thinking about him, weren’t you?” At Junhui’s hesitant nod, he continued, “You were smiling like an idiot. A sappy, cute idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. You’re always like that, you know, around him. Just because you don’t look at our faces, Junnie, doesn’t mean we don’t look at yours. You always smile around him and let him follow you around like a lost puppy. Don’t even try to explain it away, I’ve been your best friend for too long for me to not know what that means.” Junhui’s face reddened at Wonwoo’s words, staring at his feet as Wonwoo took on a gentler tone, “Do you like him, Jun-ah?” 

In a small voice, Junhui whispered, “It doesn’t matter if I do or not. I can’t do anything about it. We could never date. It would never work, Wonu.” At the use of the old nickname, Wonwoo sighed, knowing Junhui only used it when he was feeling vulnerable. He walked forward, guiding Junhui into his awaiting arms to wrap him in a hug. This too was new for Junhui, who hadn’t received affection from anyone other than his family in years. The first time any of them had hugged him (oddly, it had been Seungkwan), he had almost cried on the spot (which led to a lot of panic on all their parts, though now it was just a funny memory). While the hug felt nice, Junhui’s heart felt heavy at the thought of being in love with Mingyu. He had finally let himself have friends, how could he think about trying to fall in love? He couldn’t be any more selfish if he tried to love someone. 

“I know you’re scared, Jun-ah,” Wonwoo mumbled into Junhui’s hair, “But I think you’ve made incredible progress. Mingyu’s helped you open up so much, it’s kind of insane. It’s a whole new world, isn’t it? And I think that if you’re brave enough to get this far, to open yourself up this much, you’re brave enough to let yourself love and be loved.” 

Junhui began to tear up, “You know, you say a lot of really profound things for a guy who still can’t make ramen properly,” Junhui giggled at Wonwoo’s indignant squawk, before adding, “I don’t know about that Wonwoo. I might love him, but there’s so many things that could go wrong. There’s so many things that we couldn’t do. It wouldn’t be fair to him. And what if he doesn’t like me back?” That caused Wonwoo to chuckle, making Junhui pout. He quickly rectified himself, 

“I’m absolutely positive you don’t have to worry about that. Just because you can’t look at his face doesn’t mean I can’t. You’d have to be blind, or avoiding his face, to not see the love pouring out of his eyes,” Junhui blushed at that, before Wonwoo added, “Plus, the kid always looks like a kicked puppy when you get too touchy with the others. He even glares at me if you stick to me. It’s hilarious.” Wonwoo teased, making Junhui giggle. In all honesty, Junhui couldn’t imagine someone looking at him like that. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to get jealous because of him, or to want to be close to him. He had only started getting used to the level of attention and affection he was receiving now; how would he handle getting any more? It would be way more than he deserved. 

“I’ll think about it, Wonwoo.” Junhui said softly, pressing his face even farther into Wonwoo’s shoulder. All Wonwoo could do was sigh, and pat his best friend’s head.

  
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If he told Wonwoo he would think about it, then what the fuck was happening right now?

Junhui had been on his way home, stopping at his locker to grab one of his books, when a note had fallen out. Curious, he picked it up, reading the message, ‘meet me by the gate, I have something to tell you’, and it was signed off by Mingyu. Junhui could only stare at the note in confusion, not understanding why Mingyu would leave a note in his locker, asking him to meet up, rather than finding him himself and talking to him. Regardless, Junhui gathered his things before making his way to the gates of the school, spotting the taller male easily. Walking up to him, Junhui called out, “Mingyu, what’s going on? Did you need something?” 

Mingyu startled out of his own thoughts, quickly stuttering out, “Y-yeah, I just want to talk to you for a minute, it won’t take long,” Junhui nodded at the younger boy, motioning for him to continue. Mingyu let out a deep sigh, concerning Junhui, before he said, “Are you dating Wonwoo?”

Blinking, Junhui could only look up to glance at Mingyu’s face, not comprehending the question. When he took a look at Mingyu, he noticed the taller boy wasn’t looking at him, instead looking off to the side. Junhui took a few more moments to process the question before letting out a confused ‘huh?’, before Mingyu began to ramble. 

“I mean, it’s fine if you are! I know how close you two used to be, and you missed each other a lot! And Wonwoo used to defend you from the rumors, he was always caring about you, that’s easy to fall for,” Mingyu continued, “It makes sense, you know. You guys were best friends and became lovers, it’s really sweet actually. I just- I thought you’d let us know, you know. Or at least let me know, cause like, we’re friends and stuff. But it’s okay if you didn’t want to, cause I know that must be weird and stuff and-“ 

Finally unable to take anymore of Mingyu’s garbled-thoughts, Junhui broke in, staring at Mingyu’s face, “Mingyu! Stop! What are you even talking about?” 

Suddenly, Mingyu looked back at Junhui, seemingly frustrated, “What do you mean, what am I talking about! I’ve seen the way the two of you act! You obviously have feelings for one another! And it’s fine if you do, I’m just saying that it would’ve been nice if either of you told us!” He huffed staring Junhui down. The elder was unable to back down, not realizing that he was continuously staring Mingyu in the eyes. 

“The way we act? We’re just friends, Mingyu! We act like that because we’re best friends and we haven’t talked in a long time! We were clingy with each other when we were kids too, so it doesn’t mean anything! Why are you so strung up about it anyways?” Junhui said, annoyance dripping into his voice. He didn’t understand why Mingyu was being so touchy about it; Junhui hadn’t gotten to be clingy with anyone in years, so sue him if he wanted to hang off of his best friend!

Mingyu finally burst, “Because I like you, you idiot! I’ve had a crush on you since we met but I kept it inside because I knew you wouldn’t want that and I didn't want to overwhelm you! But then, Wonwoo comes back into your life and you guys act like long-lost lovers and you don’t even wait for me after classes anymore! It’s not fair, I was your best friend for a little while too.” Mingyu pouted. 

Junhui stared back at Mingyu, incredulously. He was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to reply. Did Mingyu just confess to him? What the hell was happening all of a sudden? Junhui was still in the ‘thinking about it’ phase of confessing to his crush, let alone admitting it! And now he had to make a decision? The world really wanted Junhui to suffer. 

“Mingyu-yah…” Junhui said softly, still processing what was happening. His brain was simultaneously working too fast and too slow, not able to understand what kind of situation he was in. 

“Wait,” Mingyu said, interrupting the ex-actor. Junhui sighed, trying to speak, before Mingyu cut him off once again, “I said wait!” He whined, making Junhui groan. 

“What?” Junhui all but shouted at the taller man, patience wearing thin. 

“It’s just,” Mingyu said, slight awe in his voice, “You’ve been staring at me this whole time.” 

Junhui blinked at him, not understanding what Mingyu was talking about, “What? What are you saying?” 

“I mean, you don’t make eye contact with me for more than a second, but you’ve been staring at me for a while now.” Mingyu said, smiling a bit at the older boy. Although he was afraid of being rejected, he was delighted to be able to look at Junhui’s pretty eyes for more than a glance. 

Suddenly, Junhui seemed to realize what he was doing, what he had done, and froze. He immediately looked down, his brain going into overdrive. How long had it been since he started looking into Mingyu’s eyes? It definitely felt like over ten seconds, but he still wasn’t frozen yet. How was that possible? Was it building up right now? Was Mingyu going to freeze over any second now? How could he have been so stupid? He had been avoiding eye contact for years now, and all of a sudden he gets confessed to and he forgets he’s cursed? 

Unaware of himself, Junhui had crouched down and began to hyperventilate. Panic-stricken, Mingyu rushed to his side, wrapping an arm around Junhui’s back while trying to pry Junhui’s hands away from his mouth, “Jun? What’s wrong? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you or upset you. It’s fine if you don’t like me back and if you like Wonwoo, I didn’t mean to get in your face about it. Junnie? Junnie, hey, talk to me. You need to breathe Junnie, okay? Junhui?” Mingyu began to panic as well, worry building up in his chest as he watched his friend’s chest rise and fall at a rapid rate, eyes dilating and body shaking. 

Junhui continued to berate himself, unable to hear the younger boy speaking to him. This is what having friends has done to him, it’s made him weak and stupid and now he was going to accidentally kill another innocent person, an innocent person who he was in love with. At that thought, Junhui spiraled more, realizing that indeed: he was in love with Mingyu. He loved his playful attitude and his teasing remarks and his pouty demeanor and his puppy aura; he loved his tall stature and his sculpted face and his beautiful skin. He loved his loud laugh and small giggles and gentle eyes. He loved his warm gaze and warm hands and warm hugs. Junhui was in love with everything that Mingyu was, and that was terrifying. Junhui was in love with Mingyu, and he was going to kill him. 

And with that, Junhui saw darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> many things happened omg I forgot how much I packed into this one chapter hehe  
> first off, I love wonhui best friends, they're the cutest  
> second, mingyu confessing is what we've all been waiting for, though I'm sorry I couldn't give you guys the sweet relief of jun's answer yet, you'll see his answer eventually~  
> and lastly, one of the biggest revelations, mingyu didn't freeze when he looked into junhui's eyes!!!!! why, might you ask???? you'll see eventually ^-^  
> anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think down below ^-^ I've lost so much motivation to write anything recently, and your comments really get me going, so if you'd spare a comment for me I would be very appreciative ;-;
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


	5. you need to accept yourself before others can accept you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Junhui opened his eyes, all he saw was white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello~ I'm back with another chapter hehe   
> we're getting close to the end y'all!! I know a lot of you are curious about many different things, so this and the next chapter will clear up some stuff for you~
> 
> enjoy!!

______________________________________

When Junhui opened his eyes, all he saw was white.

Groaning, he threw an arm over his eyes to shield them from the light around him. To his side, he heard someone rush out of a chair, moving to his side while calling his name. It took a moment for Junhui to focus, but he was able to tell that it was MIngyu calling to him. After letting his eyes adjust, Junhui turned to look in Mingyu’s direction, still fuzzy as to what had happened. Junhui ventured a look at Mingyu’s face, shocked by the redness in his eyes and his watery smile. Alarmed, Junhui quickly sat up, regretting it almost immediately as his world spun. 

Mingyu was quick to steady the ex-actor, gripping onto his arm with one hand, while the other traveled to his back to hold him up. He spoke softly to his bedridden friend, “You passed out, Junnie. Take it easy, okay?” 

It took Junhui a minute to regain his bearings, trying to recall what had happened before he passed out. Slowly, memories of his conversation with Mingyu came back to him; how they had argued about Wonwoo, how Mingyu had confessed to him, how Junhui had stared into Mingyu’s eyes for more than ten seconds. Recalling that, Junhui immediately whipped his head to look at Mingyu again, as if he was afraid that the taller boy might turn into ice now that Junhui had remembered what had happened. Junhui could only stare at Mingyu with wide eyes as questions began to swirl in his head: how had Mingyu not turned into ice? Sure, Junhui hadn’t tested his curse in years, but Junhui had assumed that it wouldn’t just go away with time. Did that mean that Mingyu was immune to it? But how would that make sense? Didn’t the woman scorn him so he wouldn’t be able to have a normal life, just like her? 

“Junnie,” Mingyu said, startling Junhui out of his thoughts, “I don’t know what you’re thinking of right now, but you shouldn’t stress yourself out now, okay? You passed out because you had a panic attack, and your mom said that that was because you used to get in your own head and bottle up your anxieties. So can you tell me what you’re thinking instead? I might be able to help you, if you want me to.” Mingyu smiled softly at his crush, trying to coax him into talking about what had happened. In truth, when Junhui had passed out, Mingyu had lost all his sanity. He had all but thrown Junhui’s limp body over his shoulder and high-tailed it to the nurse's office. Seeing the person he loved lying lifeless on the ground had scared the taller boy to death, causing tears to well in his eyes from the sight. 

“You talked to my mom?” Junhui asked, starting off with an easier question. He had many more things he wanted to ask Mingyu, more important things, but he needed to take his time with it. Junhui could sense that Mingyu was still a bit shaken up by what had happened and the last thing Junhui wanted to do was scare Mingyu even more. 

Mingyu froze for a minute before reluctantly replying, “Ah, yeah, I did. When you fainted, they called her in and since I brought you in, I talked to her,” Mingyu reached up to scratch the back of his head shyly, “Sorry if you didn’t want me to. I know that was like, one of your rules, but I didn’t want her to worry so much…” Junhui could only stare at Mingyu, who was actively avoiding his gaze. With Mingyu avoiding looking at him, Junhui could take in his appearance better; his tall friend was currently sporting a faint blush on his cheeks. He imagined it was from having carried him all the way to the nurse’s office, but it was a good look on the taller boy. 

Junhui sighed, “It’s fine, Mingyu. You didn’t really have any other choice, unless you wanted her to think you were a total asshole. I don’t really care anymore about that, anyways.” Junhui’s reply made Mingyu perk up, looking into Junhui’s eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Junhui turned to stare at the blanket on his lap. His head was still spinning from the accident, not grasping what had exactly happened. He didn’t understand how it was possible for Mingyu to not turn into ice after looking at him. Sure, he hadn’t done it in years, but that didn’t mean that the curse went away, did it? The woman who had cursed him said that he would end up like her, which Junhui had interpreted as meaning he would be alone for the rest of his life. Was that not the case? 

“Jun-ah,” Mingyu called, “I know you might not feel up to it, but we should talk about what happened back there…” Junhui froze at his friend’s words, wondering which part Mingyu was talking about: the confession or his breakdown? 

Mingyu continued, “I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you back there, it wasn’t fair of me to come at you like that. That must’ve stressed you out, right? We’ve only been friends for a few months now, and you haven’t had friends in years, so getting a confession from me must’ve been a lot. I’m really sorry, Jun. You can forget about it if it bothers you.” Mingyu looked down at his hands as he spoke, a somber smile on his face. It hurt Junhui’s heart to see his friend like that; Mingyu always deserved to be his dopey, happy self. Junhui was happiest when Mingyu was, and for Junhui to be the cause of his friend’s pain made Junhui regretful. 

For a moment, Junhui didn’t say a word. If he wanted to, he could play this whole thing off as what Mingyu was making it out to be. He could pretend that the stress of being confessed to made him pass out; Mingyu was giving him an out right now, if he wanted it. He could pretend that nothing ever happened and he could go back to the life he was just starting to get comfortable with. They could move past this whole thing, without Junhui ever coming to terms with his feelings or his questions about his curse and everything would continue on like normal.

But being scared was what had stopped him from being happy before, hadn’t it? 

Taking a deep breath, Junhui tried to calm his nerves. He had to think about this seriously; no one besides his family knew about his curse. He had kept it deep within his heart for most of his life. To tell someone now, someone he hadn’t known for more than a few months was risky. Telling someone that he was potentially in love with was even scarier. What if MIngyu reacted poorly? What if he told everyone? 

Yet, looking at Mingyu, Junhui was doubtful that would happen. Something about Mingyu, Junhui trusted. Whether it was his warm aura, his bright personality, or his lovely words, Junhui knew that Mingyu would never hurt him intentionally. 

“Mingyu-yah,” Junhui said seriously, making Mingyu look at him. Junhui took another deep breath before looking in his eyes and speaking, “I need to tell you something important. But, you need to let me tell you everything before you say anything, okay?” Junhui looked away quickly afterwards, not wanting to push his luck any farther than he had. Even on the slightest chance that Mingyu wasn’t affected by his curse, he didn’t want to test it before Mingyu had a say in the matter. 

“Okay, Junnie. Take your time.” Mingyu said softly, smiling gently at the nervous boy. Junhui just offered him a shaky smile before calling on all his courage and telling his story.

“When I was a kid, I was a child actor. I did a lot of different movies, and when I was five, I booked a horror movie. It was set in the woods, and while the other actors were busy, I went exploring and stumbled into a little cave. When I went in and looked around, I saw that someone was living there. Before I could run away though, the woman who lived there caught me,” Junhui shuddered, recalling the woman’s terrible scent and horrifying looks, “She was really mad at me for going into her home. I tried apologizing and stuff, but I was so scared. She started talking crazy, telling me I would be miserable like she was, and then… I woke up in the trailers. Everyone was so worried about me and checking to make sure I was okay, and I was talking to a particular staff member when…” Junhui felt a chill go down his back, remembering the incident so vividly. It still haunted him to this day, even though he hadn’t done it intentionally. All he could think about was the staff member’s wife’s distressed screams at the news her beloved had died. How she cradled her children and sobbed on the floor, grieve-stricken by the news. Her screams had haunted Junhui for years after the incident, as well as the anger of the parents of the young actress who had also been frozen that day. He could picture their anguish, their pain at the news that their child had perished. Junhui could never forget what he had done, intentional or not. 

Noticing Junhui’s daze, Mingyu laid a hand on Junhui’s, snapping him out of his thoughts, “Hey, it’s okay. Take your time, Jun-ah. It’s okay.” Mingyu to comfort his friend, making Junhui smile ruefully. He was deathly afraid of telling Mingyu the rest, afraid of what Mingyu would think of him. Yet, he knew he had to; for his own sake. For his own happiness. For his own chance at a happy ending. 

Junhui closed his eyes as he said the next part, “I was staring at him. Staring him in the eyes. It’s good manners, you know, when someone’s talking to you. And when I did that for a while, he… he froze. Like, his entire body froze over, in an instant. He was reaching out for me to comfort me, and he just… froze in that position. When it happened, no one knew what was going on and everyone was freaking out. They started to panic and dragged me away from him. Finally, one of the actresses on set grabbed me and was trying to comfort me, when I did the same thing. I stared at her in the eyes for more than ten seconds, and she froze. I… I didn’t know what was going on. Everything broke out into chaos after that, and I don’t really remember what happened other than I was taken to a doctor who told me I was cursed.” 

Junhui wrapped his arms around himself, as if to protect himself as he continued, “I didn’t know what to do. I had just killed two people, and I found out I was cursed. I just… I just shut down. I was a monster. I am a monster. I quit acting, I stopped talking to other people, and I stopped looking at people. That’s why I stopped talking to Wonwoo back then. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else, especially not him. I- I know this sounds impossible. I know it sounds like I’m crazy, but I just needed you to know why. Why I am the way I am. Why I did what I did and why I’m so scared of all the things you said. I can’t do those things, Mingyu-yah. I’m supposed to be miserable for the rest of my life, and I already pushed my luck enough. I- I don’t want to hurt anyone else, especially… especially not you.” 

Junhui kept his eyes shut, not wanting to see Mingyu’s reaction to his life story. He was surprised that he was even able to share all the details of the incident. Junhui had sworn to himself that he was never going to share it with anyone else, since he wanted to protect his family. He knew that this could jeopardize them all; all he could do was pray for Mingyu’s understanding, or at the very least, disbelief. If Mingyu didn’t believe him, he at least wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else finding out. Yet, at the thought of Mingyu not believing him and rejecting him after his confession left a stinging wound on Junhui’s already-fragile heart.

After a few minutes of silence, Junhui opened his eyes and took a peak at Mingyu’s face, which seemed frozen. Junhui prompted him, “Can- can you at least say something?” 

That snapped Mingyu out of his daze, looking at Junhui with wild eyes. He began to stutter, “So- sorry, I just. I’m taking all of that in. Um. That’s- that’s not a joke, right? You weren’t just saying all of that as a roundabout way of rejecting me, right?” Junhui scoffed at that, wondering how Mingyu could come to such a ridiculous conclusion. Of course, it would be Mingyu who would think Junhui would spin such an outrageous tale, just to reject him; as if Junhui hadn’t let his feelings slip out at the end of his monologue. All Junhui could do was let out a little chuckle and shake his head. 

“Right,” Mingyu said, letting out a sigh, “You wouldn’t do that. Um. Okay. So, you’re cursed. Okay. Um. Are you okay?” 

At that, Junhui couldn’t stop the laughter that had been bubbling in his chest from escaping. He kept laughing, asking, “I tell you all that, and that’s what you ask? If I’m okay? Don’t you have any better questions?” Mingyu whined at Junhui’s teasing, though he was happy that Junhui seemed to be less distressed than before. 

“I mean, to me, that’s the most important question I have. Yeah, I’m really confused and I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I mean, it’s fine. The whole thing is making my head spin a little, but mostly, I can’t believe you’ve been living with this type of secret your whole life,” Mingyu started to ramble after that, seemingly caught up in all his thoughts, “How can you withstand all that? I don’t get it. Like, what? Who the fuck was that witch? Why did she do that to you? And like, how does this even work? How have you even been functioning in society with this big of a burden? I would’ve lost it if I were you. There’s no way I would’ve been as nice as you are if this happened to me. I’m mostly, like, shocked that after all that, you still turned out the way you did. How the fuck did you do that?” Mingyu’s rapid-fire questions made Junhui’s head spin. These were Mingyu’s questions? He wasn’t scared or worried for his own safety, but rather, Junhui’s sanity? What the hell was this kid? 

“Wait!” Mingyu suddenly exclaimed, making Junhui look into his eyes, “If you can’t look into anyone’s eyes for longer than ten seconds or else they turn into ice, then why didn’t I freeze over back then? Is that why you freaked out and passed out? Cause I didn’t turn into ice?” 

Junhui sighed, “Yeah. I realized what I did after you brought it up, and I just, shut down. I got so scared that you were gonna freeze over at any time. I was so scared I had accidentally killed you, Mingyu-yah.” Junhui shuddered at the thought, bile rising in his throat. He took a few deep breaths, swallowing down the feeling before feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

Mingyu smiled at him, “Well, you didn’t. I didn’t freeze over, for whatever reason. So stop worrying, okay? I’m completely fine. Now, I don’t completely understand everything that happened, but I know now that you were trying to protect everyone around you, right? Since you got cursed, you’ve been trying to protect not only people you were in school with or your friends, but your family as well. That’s why you were that way when we met, and why you wouldn’t let me in. I get it now, Jun-ah. I understand, so don’t be burdened, okay? I know I can’t take all of it from you, and that it all won’t ever leave you, but I hope that now that you can finally talk about it with someone else, you can let me carry some of the burden too. I want to protect you too, Jun.” 

Junhui felt tears filling his eyes and spilling down his face, unable to contain the sobs that began to pour out. He couldn’t help the immense sense of relief he suddenly felt; he finally found someone who understood him. He had someone, for the first time in his life, who he could tell his secrets to. A weight that Junhui hadn’t been aware of, one that had been on his shoulders since the tender age of five, had finally lifted, if only a bit. Junhui couldn’t stop his tears or sobs, crying into his hands before being pulled into Mingyu’s warm embrace. He continued to sob, listening to Mingyu’s gentle words and coos, “It’s okay now, Jun-ah. It’s okay. I understand. Well, I don’t really understand, we need to talk about this later, cause I have a lot of unanswered questions and I need more details,” Junhui giggled a bit at that, making Mingyu laugh a bit as well, “But, I accept you. I accept you the way you are, the way you’ve been, and the person you’ll be in the future. I accept you in all shapes, ways, sizes, beings. I want to help you get through all of this, in any way I can. Anything you need, I want to be here. I’m here for you now, Jun-ah. There must be a reason I didn’t freeze, right?” Mingyu held the shorter boy tighter as he sniffled, smiling into his hair. 

Junhui took a deep breath, looking up at Mingyu and gazed into his eyes. He held his gaze, making Mingyu smile brighter. It was obvious Mingyu wasn’t going to back down, so they continued to stare at each other. When Junhui was positive at least 30 seconds had passed, he let out the breath he had been holding, kicking his forehead against Mingyu’s shoulder. Mingyu just giggled at Junhui’s antics, endeared by the shorter boy. 

“How the hell are you the one person who’s immune to it?” Junhui mumbled into Mingyu’s sweater. Mingyu wasn’t holding onto him as tight anymore, but Junhui didn’t have it in him to leave the warmth the taller boy’s body was exuding. 

In all honesty, it didn’t make sense to either boy that Mingyu was an exception to the curse. They had no idea what the ‘rules’ of the curse were, as it wasn’t like there were other reported cases of the curse. Neither boy knew what to do with this newfound information. What did this mean for them?

“Hey,” Mingyu called out, snapping Junhui out of his thoughts, “Wanna go look for the witch and ask her?” 

‘Well,’ Junhui thought, ‘I guess that’s one way to find out.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaa so now we know a little more!! idk if I made it super clear in this chapter, but mingyu does NOT have powers of any sort, so for anyone guessing, that's not it  
> junnie is finally opening up ;-; I'm so proud of my baby, he's finally letting some of his burden off of his chest ;-;  
> also mingyu's easy acceptance and slight little boy adventurous attitude is making me all gooey I love my BOYS  
> I'm really attached to this version of junnie and mingyu I made; they're my sweet sweet boys and I adore them  
> anyways, we're two chapters away from the end so yay!! I hope there are still some people excited and anticipating the ending ;-;  
> leave any comments down below!! they really motivate me ^-^
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


	6. answers well deserved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Searching for a woman who he had only seen briefly as a child in the woods was not how Junhui had expected his first date with Mingyu to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone~ I'm so sorry, I meant to post this yesterday but I forgot ;-; please forgive me in the form of accepting this long chapter  
> we're finally getting answers to everyone's long awaited questions!! so stay tuned~
> 
> enjoy~

________________________________

Searching for a woman who he had only seen briefly as a child in the woods was not how Junhui had expected his first date with Mingyu to go.

To be fair, this wasn’t necessarily a date, considering Junhui wasn’t even sure what he and Mingyu were at this point, but still. He had always imagined that his first date would be at a nice restaurant or at a movie theater, something cliche but sweet. Hiking through a creepy forest wasn’t exactly what he had pictured, yet he hardly minded as Mingyu held onto his hand to lead him over some towering rocks. 

After talking with his family and introducing Mingyu to them, his parents had agreed to let them go look for the old woman. 

“It’s your life, baby. We want you to be happy; we always have,” His mother had said, rubbing his arms comfortingly, “I’m glad you met this boy and that he’s helping you break out from your curse. I always felt terrible that there was nothing we could say or do to help, so I’m happy to see someone else has. To even think that he’s helped bring Wonwoo back into your life and that he’s helping you understand your curse… I’m overjoyed that you’ve found love, my baby.” Junhui teared alongside his mother, smiling as she hugged him tightly. He had always known that his parents felt guilty for what happened to him, and as much as he had wanted to assuage that guilt, he never knew how. Junhui knew his parents never blamed him for anything, but it didn’t get rid of the burning guilt he felt when he thought of how his mother cried at night, filled with worries about her son. Now at least, he could try to put some of her worries to rest. 

He wasn’t trying to do everything alone anymore. He had Mingyu now. 

________________________________

“Where the hell are we going?” Mingyu groaned after they climbed up another rock, “I thought you said you did this as a kid! What kid can hike up this?!” He gestured to the forest around them and it’s bumpy terrain. Junhui just giggled at his actions, endeared by Mingyu’s whining. He knew that despite his complaining, Mingyu would trek up dozens of mountains if it meant finding Junhui some peace. 

Junhui reached back for the taller boy’s hand, saying, “Stop whining, you baby. I was an athletic kid, so if I could do it at five, you can do it at seventeen.” Mingyu only pouted at the ex-actor, even while reaching out to grab Junhui’s hand. He gripped Junhui’s tightly, the latter supporting the giant as they continued to climb. 

Eventually, they reached the site where it all happened; the last time Junhui filmed, the last time Junhui was a normal child, the last time Junhui had been innocent. Glancing at the area, he couldn’t help but shiver as a chill ran up his spine. He realized that he was shaking, just by being in the area. Mingyu realized this as well, if his hold tightening on Junhui’s hand was anything to go by. Junhui glanced up at that, noticing Mingyu had already been staring at him. He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face, happy that at least now, he had someone he loved with him.

“How do you feel? Are you okay?” Mingyu asked softly, reaching out to brush some hair out of Junhui’s face. Junhui shut his eyes at the feeling, savoring the contact. It had been so long since he had this type of closeness with anyone other than his family; while it was unfamiliar, it was not unwelcome. 

Junhui opened his eyes after a moment, greeted by Mingyu’s blinding smile. Junhui giggled at that, “What are you so happy for?” He teased.

Mingyu only shrugged before answering, “I’m just happy to be here with you. To get closure with you, and to be on this adventure with you. Plus, I get to look you in the eyes now, and I’m the only one who truly knows how pretty you are.” Mingyu smirked, chuckling at Junhui’s blush. Junhui mock-glared at the taller boy, huffing.

“You know, I was about to cry about how sweet you’re being and compliment you a bunch, but just for that, forget it.” Junhui turned away from the now laughing boy, taking a few steps away from him. He heard Mingyu coo at him a bit, loud footsteps quickly following him. Suddenly, Junhui was stopped in his tracks when a pair of arms engulfed him in a back hug. Shocked, Junhui said nothing for a moment, allowing Mingyu to speak.

“I just wanted you to know that I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of everything you’ve done, from letting me in, to befriending the others, to telling me about the curse. And I’m especially proud of the fact that you’re here right now, fighting for your freedom. I’m so happy that I get to be a part of this. I love you a lot, Jun.” Mingyu spoke softly into Junhui’s hair, making the moment even more intimate. The atmosphere around them seemed to slow down, freezing the moment in time. For Junhui, it felt like the entire word stopped existing, and it was just him and Mingyu.

Swallowing down his tears, Junhui whispered out, “Thank you. For coming into my life, for forcing me out of my comfort zone. Thank you for being here with me. I’m not just fighting for me, but for us. I want us to be happy together, Mingyu-yah.” He gripped the hands that were curled around his shoulders, squeezing them softly to convey the sincerity of his feelings. Mingyu only held onto him tighter, and Junhui could feel his hair dampening a bit. 

The pair just stood there, basking in each other’s words and presence. After a while, Junhui broke away from Mingyu’s hold, turning around and holding both of his hands before smiling, “Let’s go find this witch, hm? So we can be happy.” Mingyu only smiled back at his lover, nodding before they continued their journey into the forest. 

The two trekked around more, both just taking in the scenery. Despite its haunting memories for Junhui, the area was generally a beautiful place. Over the years, there seemed to be more foliage than previously, making its past use as a horror film set unfitting. The pair watched as a few animals roamed past them, uncaring for their presence in their home. As they walked, Junhui was able to recall some of the fun he had had on the set. He remembered playing with some of the other actors, as well as the staff. He could also remember where a few of his scenes were, pointing it out to Mingyu, who watched the other with fondness dripping from his eyes. They made their way down some boulders, when Junhui was struck with a sense of deja vu. 

“There,” Junhui said softly, a shiver running down his spine as he spoke, “I think... I think that’s it.” He pointed to a secluded area of the forest, foliage blocking their view of the cave. Mingyu looked at Junhui skeptically, wondering how he could tell that that was the cave. Yet, Junhui didn’t falter as he trekked towards it, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. 

‘This is it,’ he thought as he continued forward towards the cave, pulling Mingyu along, ‘if she’s still here, I’ll have my answers.’ Junhui had wondered from the beginning if the woman would even still be in the forest, let alone the last spot he’d seen her. He knew it was a loose theory to go off of, but he had no other options; he needed to know what was happening to him, and why Mingyu was immune to his curse. As they got closer and closer to the entrance of the cave, Junhui’s breath started to quicken as well, making Mingyu look at the ex-actor in concern. 

Junhui had started to get lost in his own world, startled by Mingyu’s call for him, “Hey,” he said softly, “it’s gonna be okay. Maybe we won’t find what we came to, and maybe we’ll go home empty-handed. But we tried our best and you accomplished so much just by doing this. Don’t worry, okay? We’re in this together now.” Mingyu smiled as he noticed Junhui’s breath slowly evening out, watching the shorter boy take a few deep breaths in order to calm himself down. The last thing Mingyu wanted was for Junhui to work himself up before they even went inside the cave, let alone if they saw the woman. 

The pair looked at each other with small smiles on their faces, before turning to the entrance of the cave and going in. Once inside, they walked a bit farther down, the structure feeling smaller than it had felt to Junhui as a child. When he had first come into the cave, he remembered how large and spacious it had felt. He had been in awe about how magical it had felt inside when he had ventured in; yet now, at the age of seventeen, all Junhui could feel was anticipation as he moved towards the back of the cave. That’s when he noticed it; the same furniture as had been there previously. The same bed, the same little ornaments. It was all still there.

Junhui rushed forward to scope the place out, somewhat shocked that the place looked so similar to his memories. Meanwhile, Mingyu took more cautious steps into the area, a bit more afraid of what could come. The two looked around for any sign of life, but were unable to see anyone or anything that would indicate that the woman had been there recently. Junhui felt his hope diminish in his chest when he suddenly remembered something; the orbs. He whipped around, looking for the objects that had dazzled him as a child. 

“Jun, what’s wrong?” Mingyu asked, watching Junhui rummage around the room for something.

Junhui looked up at the taller boy before answering, “There were orbs when I was here as a kid. Shiny little orbs! I remember I was so curious about them, but before I could touch them, the woman came. If she still lives here, she would’ve taken them with her. Plus, maybe they have some sort of answer inside of them.” Junhui explained to him, Mingyu nodding along. The two began searching around the room for the mysterious ornaments, wondering about the abilities they may hold. 

As the pair continued their search, they were able to find other objects that made them hopeful the woman was still there; food in storage, clothing, even notes and diaries. Junhui contemplated opening one of the journals he found, curious if it could contain the answers he sought. Yet, he was unable to do it. He worried for two reasons; one, if the woman came back as he was looking through it, she would surely hurt not only him, but Mingyu too. He had gotten into trouble for being too curious once, and did not want a repeat of that experience. Secondly, he worried that the journal would contain personal information that would be intrusive if he read it. Despite not liking the woman, he still wanted to respect her privacy in some aspects. While he was aware of how contradictory this was as he and his partner were rifling through her room, he still thought invading her personal thoughts and feelings would be no different to what she had done to him as a child. 

Pushing the journal aside, Junhui continued looking through the woman’s things, when Mingyu suddenly exclaimed, “Hey! I think I found it?” Turning, Junhui watched as Mingyu gently held a shining orb, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. It was a beautiful shade of purple, the middle of the object swirling with white. Mingyu was staring down at it in wonder, while Junhui approached him to gently take it away from him. Whatever it was, it had the potential to be dangerous. And while Junhui was incredibly grateful that Mingyu was accompanying him on his journey, he would never risk the boy’s safety just for his own gain. Junhui held the globe in his hands, staring at it in confusion. Well, they had found it. But now what was going to happen? What could it tell them? 

Just as Junhui was about to speak, a scream came from the entrance of the cave. Snapping their heads towards the shrill yell, Junhui was quick to run in front of Mingyu, as if he could guard the taller boy. Mingyu seemed amused by Junhui’s protective nature, but was quick to snap out of his thoughts as the person who had entered came in closer. They watched with wide eyes as a woman made their way towards them; however, it was not who Junhui had expected to see. 

“Who are you?” Junhui asked her, confusing Mingyu. Wasn’t this the cave that the woman who cursed him lived in? Was Junhui not able to recognize her after all these years? But that didn’t make sense... He remembered so many other details about the ordeal, so why didn’t he know who this was?

The woman stared at them in bewilderment, scoffing slightly but still shaking, “I think I should be the one asking that question, since you broke into my home and all. And it seems like you’ve been looking through my stuff,” she gestured around the room, pointing out her tousled belongings. Junhui was quick to hide the orb behind his back, not wanting her to know he had it. If he was going to need a bargaining piece to get them out of there safely, at least for Mingyu, he was going to need to conceal the fact that he had her prized possession. The woman quickly brought Junhui out of his thoughts, asking, “What are you doing here, in my home?” 

Mingyu leaned over to the ex-actor, whispering in his ear, “Jun? What’s going on? You don’t know her? Why doesn’t she recognize you either?” Mingyu was incredibly lost, not following what was happening. Was this really not the woman? He was also doubtful, looking at her. She looked incredibly young to be the woman who cursed Junhui almost twelve years ago; she was also a lot prettier than Junhui had described her. Weren’t witches usually grotesque-looking?

“Your home?” Junhui asked, receiving an annoyed look from the woman in return, “What do you mean ‘your home’? How long have you lived here?” Junhui refused to back down; now that he was here and fighting for his own freedom, he didn’t want to let it go when it was so close to him. He needed as much information as he could get in order to find out more about his curse, and if interrogating this woman was the only way to do it, then so be it. 

“I’ve lived here for years, kid, and I’m tired of your questions,” she said, annoyance seeping into her voice, “Instead of dancing around each other, why don’t you tell me what it is that you want? You’re obviously looking for something, so before I decide what to do with you, maybe I can answer some of your burning questions.” Mingyu shivered at her dark tone, wondering what she had in store for them. He figured that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. Discreetly, Mingyu looked around the area for any hidden exits routes, trying to plan an escape in case things went south with this woman. 

Meanwhile, Junhui tried to get a grasp of the situation he was in; first, he had made it into the cave of the woman who had placed a curse on him twelve years ago. Then, they had rummaged around her room and had successfully located the orb he had seen as a child, which he was sure had set off the woman all that time ago. But now, he was encountering something he didn’t anticipate: a different woman. Sure, Junhui had only glanced at her face for a few moments, but he wasn’t blind; he could tell that it wasn’t the same person. What had happened to the old lady who had lived here and had cursed Junhui? What did this new person mean when she said she’d been living here for years? This person in front of them definitely couldn’t be the one who cursed him all that time ago, so who was she and what was her relationship to her? 

Finally, Junhui cautiously began asking questions, “First off, who are you? How long have you lived here?” 

The woman looked bored, her voice flat as she replied, “My name is a secret. I’ve lived here for ten years though.” She shifted her gaze from Junhui to Mingyu, who looked a bit skittish. She smiled sinisterly as she spoke, “Hm, your partner here doesn’t look so good. Is he scared of what you’ve gotten yourselves into?” She gestured at Mingyu, making Junhui turn to look at him. In truth, Mingyu didn’t look so good; he was shaking slightly, definitely afraid. Yet, his gaze didn’t seem to waver. Despite all his fear, he wholly believed in Junhui and his quest for the truth, and that alone gave Junhui the strength to continue forward.

“We’re both fine, thank you,” Junhui said curtly, though he slowly reached for Mingyu’s hand, grasping it gently. The gesture made Mingyu smile, which in turn made Junhui smile as well. The act made the woman in front of them glare, giving Junhui a chance to ask his questions, “What happened to the older woman living here before? Do you know her?” 

In an instant, the woman’s face went from anger to shock. She didn’t say anything for a moment; she just stared at the pair in front of her, as if considering what they knew. She spoke slowly as she responded, “What do you know about her? What business did you have with her?” She looked back and forth between them, before her face hardened and she yelled, “Are you here to collect? After all that was taken?” All of a sudden, she launched herself at Junhui, who was taken aback by her quick change in demeanor. He held her wrists as she grabbed for him, looking at her face for a few moments out of shock. Mingyu quickly pulled her off of him, holding her back as she tried to fight his strong grip. Now, both boys were confused; why was she reacting like this? Who was that woman to her?

After a few minutes of struggling, the woman stopped trashing when she realized Mingyu wouldn’t let her go. She continued to glare at Junhui, cursing him, “What did you do to her? Do you even know what happened to her?” Her tone was accusatory, which further confused the pair. 

Surprisingly, it was Mingyu who spoke up next, “That woman,” he said calmly, not wanting to rouse his captive again, “knew Junhui when he was a kid. He came in here, and she caught him and placed a curse on him. We came today to find out more about it.” Mingyu explained, much to the shock of Junhui. He wasn’t sure what Mingyu’s plan could be, now that the woman knew most of the details of their visit. Junhui had wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, to not reveal anything until he felt like they had the upper hand. He had begun to hope that Mingyu spilling his secret wouldn’t put them in danger, when the woman spoke.

“You’re the one? You’re the one she cursed?” She asked, staring at him in wonder. Junhui nodded softly, watching her torso in Mingyu’s arms go limp, as if all the fight she had previously had had suddenly been drained out of her. She sighed as she continued, “She told me. She told me she had cursed a little boy many, many years ago. She never described you, so I didn’t know it was you when you came in. She only told me that you showed up here one day, looking at her things.” 

“Why?” Junhui asked softly, “Why did she curse me? Did she even tell you what she did to me?” His voice shook as he spoke, emotion overtaking his body. He couldn’t help the way he felt in that moment; this person in front of him knew who did this to him. She seemingly knew what she could do and that she did this to Junhui as a child. She knew what kind of person that woman was and knew that she cursed a five year old, and yet she dared to accuse him of doing something to her? 

The woman sighed again, signaling for Mingyu to release her. The taller boy hesitated for a moment, cautious that she would attack Junhui again, who was currently in a vulnerable state. She sighed again, “I won’t touch either of you. You both can run now if you want and I won’t do anything. But if you want the answers you’re here for, then let me go and I’ll tell you.” At that, Mingyu released her slowly, her body sagging to the ground as if her weight was too much for her. She sat on the ground, taking a deep breath before she continued, “I met her after she cursed you. She came into town a few miles from here for material, and I worked at the store. We became close after that.” She looked off wistfully, as if recalling those days. 

“After a while, I moved in here with her. She didn’t like being around other people, so she would’ve been an outcast in town. I didn’t mind moving out here, since it was peaceful. We started living together, and we were genuinely happy. I thought I knew everything about her. She told me that she was a ‘witch’, but I was fine with it, as long as she didn’t do anything to hurt anyone. And then… one day, she told me about you. She told me that she placed a curse on a five year old boy for going through her things. In all honesty, I was horrified. It disgusted me what she did to you. We fought about it, and I could tell that… she regretted it. But still, I wondered how she could think that was okay at all. You were just a child, and yeah you shouldn’t have snooped around, but that didn’t mean you deserved that. So… I left her.” She shuddered at the memory, making Junhui and Mingyu look at her with worry. 

The woman’s voice shook as she continued, “It was only supposed to be for a few hours. I just went back to town, so I could cool off my head. But then I saw everyone from my old life and I just thought… maybe I didn’t belong in the forest with her. I started having my doubts about us, and especially what she had done, so I stayed in town for a week. I thought she would eventually come looking for me, so I didn’t even bother worrying about it. And when she didn’t, I just got angrier because I assumed she didn’t care,” she laughed emptily at that, “After a week, I decided to go back and give her a piece of my mind. I even thought that if she didn’t fight for me, I would pack up all my stuff and move back. But when I got there…” As if glass had been shattered, the woman started to cry, tears dripping down her cheeks. The sight alarmed the boys, at a loss as to what they should do. The briefly wondered if they should comfort her, but ultimately decided against it; she needed to finish the story, and if they interrupted her now, they worried she wouldn’t have the strength to. 

Sighing, she said, “She was gone, when I came back. At first, I thought she just went out, but then I found a letter on the bed. She wrote about how sorry she was: to me, to you. She said she had always regretted what she had done to you, and wished that she could find you and take it back. She said that at the time, she was all alone, and had been for years. Never in her life had she had someone there for her, someone to share happiness with, so she hated seeing others happy. So when she saw you here, so carefree and bright, she just… shut down. Afterwards, she came to resent herself and the fact that she hurt an innocent child, but she didn’t know what she could do at that point. So, she just kept on with her life. And then… we met. And she said that, I changed her. I gave her someone to share not only her happiness with, but her sorrows as well. I gave her a companion in life, and she was beginning to have hope. But… I broke that. I didn’t accept the biggest mistake she ever made, and instead rejected her. I abandoned her, just like the rest of the people in her life. And where she could bear with that, and continue living, she just… couldn’t anymore. Not with my betrayal on her heart. So she… she jumped off the cliff a few miles from here.” Both Junhui and Mingyu gasped at that. While they both might have detested what she had done to Junhui, they couldn’t help but have sympathy for her and her lover’s situation. 

“I ran towards the cliff when I read her letter, hoping that I was in time to stop her. But… I wasn’t. She was already gone by the time I reached it. And at that moment, I have never regretted anything more in my life. I was now barren, without the person I loved most in the world. And that’s how I now understand her curse,” she turned to look at Junhui, who couldn’t help but look her in the eyes as she spoke, “The curse isn’t just one to freeze people when you look at them. It freezes anyone who you love or who loves you. Any amount of affection you have towards that person or that person has towards you suffices; if you look in their eyes, they’ll freeze. You probably didn’t know that, since I’m assuming you didn’t test it out. I assume it’s like that because she hated how people could love each other, yet no one could love her. When we met and fell in love, she was so hopeful that my love was powerful enough. She believed that if I loved her, that her power would diminish and her curse over you would break. She prayed for it, truly hoping that I would be able to free you,” she smiled regretfully at Junhui as she spoke her next words, “But I wasn’t able to. I wasn’t able to love her enough. I couldn’t save either of you, and for that, I am so sorry. I wish things could have been different for her, and for me.” She let out a shaky sigh, exhausted from her speech. Junhui continued to stare at her, stunned into silence. The woman was sorry that she cursed him? She had wanted to break it, but didn’t know how to? And the curse wasn’t one that froze any person who looked in his eyes? It only froze people who had affection for you or vice versa? 

“Wait, but why did you attack us before? What did you think we came for?” Junhui asked, mind reeling. 

She only sighed before replying, “There are some people who she owed debts to. They’ve come by over the years and have stolen some of her valuables. They usually trash the place too and threaten me. I thought the last time someone came, that would be the end of it, since they took her most prized possession then: her locket. I worried that you both were here to steal more of her things.” The woman looked heartbroken recalling those memories, making the boys pity her. Having things stolen from you that were your lover’s must be painful, and they couldn’t imagine how upset she must’ve been, seeing the two boys rummaging around her home. 

Gently, Junhui put down the orb he had been concealing, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to steal it, only use it to bargain with you if you wanted to hurt us.” The woman only laughed, shaking her head. 

“It’s fine, something like that doesn’t matter anymore, not when I lost my most valuable person.” She said simply. 

Junhui’s head was still spinning as he continued to contemplate all that he had been told and everything that had happened. His feelings were all over the place; he was confused and sympathetic, but also angry and irritated. So much of this didn’t make sense to him and when he was about to voice his frustrations, Mingyu suddenly piped up. “Wait, but then why don’t I freeze when I look into his eyes?” Mingyu asked, startling the woman. She looked at Mingyu with a confused expression, as if not understanding what he was asking.

“What do you mean?” She asked. 

Mingyu replied, as if it was obvious, “Well, I’m in love with Junhui, but when we make eye contact for more than ten seconds, I don’t freeze or anything. He hasn’t tested it out on anyone else, so I don’t know if the curse wore off or not, but it doesn’t work on me.” 

The woman stared at Mingyu with wide eyes, then switched her gaze to Junhui, silently asking him to confirm what Mingyu had said. Junhui spoke softly, “Yeah. I love him too, but he doesn’t freeze when we look at each other. I had questions about why, but I don’t know if-“ He was cut off by the sound of a muffled sob. Junhui looked up, startled, only to see the woman covering her mouth with her hand, tears running down her face again. Junhui panicked, wondering what brought this onslaught of tears this time. 

“No,” she sobbed, waving off their jerky motions, “No, it’s just… you broke it. You broke the curse.” Now, both Mingyu and Junhui were looking at her dumbfounded. She continued, voice quivering, “That curse, it can’t break if the love you have for each other isn’t strong enough. It’s supposed to freeze anyone who has affection of any amount, but if it’s so powerful, the curse can’t make the person freeze. And if that person’s affection is returned with the same amount of intensity, the curse can break. She wrote it in her journal, explaining it all to me. She had prayed that one day, you’d be able to find love, just like the love she had for me.” The woman sniffled at that, but still smiled. She looked at the pair in front of her before saying with as much happiness as she could produce at the moment, “Congratulations, you two. You broke the curse,” she then turned to Junhui before grabbing his hands gently, holding them in her own, “You’re free now. You won’t freeze anyone anymore. Your love for this boy was strong enough, and so was his love for you. Now, I can’t tell you what would happen if you two fell out of love, but from what I can tell, you two will be fine. He definitely loves you enough, if he was willing to go this far for you.” She genuinely smiled at him, happiness overtaking her features. For a moment, Junhui was struck with how beautiful she was when she smiled. And then-

Juhui yelped as he was lifted off his feet and spun around, the only thing he could hear being Mingyu’s laughter and screaming. Junhui, still overcome with the fact that his curse was broken, was barely able to hear Mingyu’s cheers, “You did it, Jun! You’re free! You’re finally free!” Mingyu put the boy down after a few moments, wondering why the ex-actor wasn’t responding, when he noticed tears dribbling down his face. Mingyu immediately looked at him with concern, reaching out to wipe the tears away. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Mingyu asked softly. 

The term of endearment made Junhui’s heart flutter, but he shook his head and sobbed out, “I had always prayed for this. I always hoped that it would happen but I never thought it could. I’m just… I’m so overwhelmed and happy. I’m so so happy, Mingyu-yah. Thank you. Thank you for loving me this much.” Mingyu only smiled at Junhui, pulling him into a tight hug. The shorter male melted into his touch, wondering how he ever had lived without his giant. Junhui pulled away slightly, looking Mingyu in the eyes before saying, “Thank you, Kim Mingyu. For changing my entire life. For giving me a new start. I love you.” In a flash, Junhui got on his tippy-toes and planted a quick kiss onto Mingyu’s cheek, making the other blush instantly. Junhui immediately began giggling at the sight, making Mingyu chuckle along as well. 

“Thank you too, Jun-ah. For letting me in. For being the love of my life. I love you too.” Mingyu said softly, pressing his forehead to Junhui’s. 

Nothing else seemed to matter. The two were lost in their own world, in their own love. All the things they had worried about, all the stresses they had seemed to melt away, just like the ice that had froze Junhui’s heart all those years ago. 

All that was left was warm hands, and warm hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhhh it's finally out!! we finally KNOW I'm so glad ;-;  
> I really wanted to show the witch as a three dimensional character and not just make her 'ooh evil lady' ya know? I hope y'all liked that and her lesbian girlfriend hehe  
> they don't have names btw because I couldn't think of anything lmao and I didn't wanna use idol names considering how I described the witch ya feel  
> anyways, I really hope this answered all your questions and satisfied you guys!! I really liked this chapter so I can only hope you guys did too ;-;  
> last chapter will be uploaded soon!! it's just a little epilogue with some sweetness so look forward to that hehe  
> leave any comments down below, it really motivates me ^-^
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


	7. happy endings and puppy love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui had been cursed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! we've made it to the end of my baby!! this fic has truly been my baby, writing for a fanfest was such an interesting experience and it gave me a lot of respect for the people who organize and run these events ^-^ I would like to quickly say thank you to the person who submitted this prompt, I hope you see this and you read the fic and enjoyed it, I really didn't want to let you down ;-; also thank you to the mods, you ran the fest beautifully and we're so helpful (also thank you for letting me change prompts y'all are the best)  
> and a big big BIG thank you to @junchanist on twitter for editing this long-ass fic for me!! the most patient and sweet moot, thank you so so so much ash for everything ^-^
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this epilogue~

_________________________________________

Junhui had been cursed. 

At the age of five, Junhui had been cursed by a woman who had been abandoned by the world, who hated love and everyone who received it. He spent the rest of his childhood and teens living in fear of hurting others, whether they were his friends and family or complete strangers. Junhui hadn’t had a friend since he was five, and hadn’t enjoyed his life since his early childhood either. He had missed out on so many experiences, so many milestones, because of his curse. He had been scorned and criticized by everyone at his schools, all mocking him and coming up with rumors that made his chest burn. At the young age of five, Junhui had accepted his destiny and his life of solitude with apathy. 

And then, Mingyu. 

If Junhui was honest with himself, he had found Mingyu to be quite annoying at the beginning. The boy had followed him around, asking him questions relentlessly and making a scene. For Junhui, who was used to being alone, it was quite jarring to have this giant puppy-like man following him wherever he went. He found the taller boy’s presence to be quite annoying, yet soothing. Despite not having close contact with others for years before Mingyu’s entrance into his life, Junhui enjoyed having the other around, at least for the time being. He had assumed that once Mingyu found out about the rumors that swirled around about him, he would abandon him too. When he noticed that wasn’t the case, Junhui had tried to make Mingyu leave by force, throwing harsh words in his direction instead. Yet, Mingyu held on, insisting on making their friendship work, by any means that would make Junhui comfortable. And while Junhui knew in his head that this was a bad idea, that it could only end poorly, his heart craved the feeling of companionship, something he hadn’t had in over a decade. 

And so, Junhui had a friend.

Through Mingyu, Junhui was able to experience a lot of things he had missed out on after he had been cursed. Whether they were big or small accomplishments, he had Mingyu with him, cheering him on throughout. And when Junhui had decided to rekindle with his best friend, Mingyu was his number one supporter, allowing him to be at ease during the ordeal. His friendship with the taller boy had made Junhui strong, stronger than he had ever been. Even after he had told Mingyu about his curse, and they had discovered that Mingyu wasn’t affected by it, the other supported Junhui in his quest for answers. Throughout Junhui’s journey, the taller, puppy-like boy had given him the strength he needed in order to be the person he wanted to be. 

After their confrontation with the woman in the cave, the pair had made their way to Junhui’s home, anxious to tell his parents the news. When they had arrived, Junhui had actually been nervous to explain it to them, worried if the woman had been wrong. Seeing his lover’s nerves, Mingyu had reached out for Junhui’s hand, giving it a light squeeze, before pulling him into the ex-actor’s home. When Junhui had begun to tell his parents, his mother broke out into sobs of relief, while his father seemed to be holding back his own tears. His younger brother, who had never really grasped the situation well, just smiled at him, climbing onto Junhui’s lap and looking up at him. And it was in that moment that all of Junhui’s relief seemed to seep out, as he held his little brother and cried: Junhui had realized how not only he had been deprived of love, but his family had been deprived of his love as well. As the family of four wept their joys and sorrows, Mingyu just watched on, feeling slightly awkward but also incredibly happy for them. After they had gathered themselves, Junhui;s mother went to Mingyu, dragging him down for a hug while she profusely thanked him for “bringing her son back to her”. The taller boy could only smile, explaining, “I didn’t do anything, Mother. It was all Junhui.” His lover smiled at that, heart filled with love for the other boy. 

Junhui had wondered how much his life would change due to his curse being broken. What he could do now that he hadn’t been able to before. There was a world of possibilities waiting for him, and in all honesty, he was a bit nervous. At first, he debated whether or not to tell anyone else; they hadn’t known about the curse in the first place, so did it make sense to tell them about it now that it was gone? His new friends had accepted him for who he was, uncaring about the rumors that circled him. He debated whether or not it was important to tell them all about what had happened to him. 

In the end, Junhui had decided that while they didn’t all need to know the details about what happened to him, there was one person who did deserve to hear his story. 

“And… yeah. That’s basically what happened,” Junhui told an awestruck Wonwoo, who could only stare at Junhui, overwhelmed, “I don’t really want to tell the others, since I don’t think it’ll make a difference to them. But, I thought you deserved to know, you know? We were best friends, and I basically abandoned you and never explained why. I just thought that you deserved to really know that it was nothing you did; I couldn’t risk hurting you or putting you in danger, so I thought that was the best way to handle the situation. I’m sorry for everything Wonwoo, for everything I put you through as well. I’m learning now that a lot more people were affected because of my curse outside of me. But, thank you for sticking by my side throughout the years, even if I didn’t know it. I don’t know what I did to deserve a best friend like you.” Junhui smiled at the other boy, who was now tearing up at the information he had been given. Suddenly, Wonwoo pulled him into a hug, startling Junhui for a minute, only for him to melt into the embrace. 

Wonwoo spoke, voice shaking, “Thank you. For telling me all that. I can’t imagine what you must’ve been going through, without anyone to support you. I’m sorry that that happened to you, but I’m so glad you’re okay now,” Wonwoo pulled away, looking at Junhui’s face and pleased when he saw the other looking back at him, a similar cat-like smile displayed, “I guess I was right, huh? Mingyu really is your good luck charm.” Wonwoo smirked at Junhui’s whine, laughing when the other jostled him around for teasing him. 

“You never said that, you liar! You called him a walking safety hazard!” Junhui huffed, making the other laugh. Junhui couldn’t help himself but smile at his best friend’s deep laughter. It had been so long since he had been able to joke around like this, to feel free like this. Junhui, for the first time in over a decade, had nothing holding him back from acting however he wanted; he could be whoever he wanted to.

Once the duo returned to school, rumors immediately began circling the school once more. This time, however, they were positive. Most of the students were talking about Junhui’s sudden attitude change, and the fact that he was no longer emotionless. Rather, they began to gush about how handsome he was when he smiled, or how bright his laughter was. The ex-actor quickly went from the school outcast to the school heartthrob, much to the amusement of his friends. 

“I can’t believe I’d ever see the day when Wen Junhui is causing this much rukus, and he’s actually blushing about it,” Soonyoung teased, making Junhui whine at his friend. His friends had taken Junhui’s personality change in stride, not questioning why. Rather, they welcomed it and made him feel comfortable about being himself, whatever that meant to him. Junhui couldn’t express his gratitude towards them enough, grateful he had been blessed with people like them in his life. Soonyoung continued to tease the ex-actor, “You’re the talk of the town now! Everyone is going on and on about how handsome you are, as if you weren’t good looking before. They don’t even know what they missed out on- ow!” Soonyoung groaned as Jihoon struck him. 

The shorter man glared at the energetic boy, annoyed by his yapping, “Stop feeding into the rumors. You think Junnie wants to hear about them from us now too?” Junhui only giggled at their banter, endeared by them both. Jihoon could be incredibly protective, while Soonyoung was one of the most playful people he’d ever met. 

“Besides,” Wonwoo called out, sliding in beside Seokmin, who was happily munching on his sandwich, “I don’t think Junnie’s boyfriend appreciates you talking so much about those rumors.” The comment made them all burst into laughter, their eyes trailing to the boy next to Junhui, who was hunched over, pouting at his lunch. The others immediately began to tease him about his jealousy, while Junhui could only watch on, laughing when Mingyu whined at them. 

Mingyu suddenly exclaimed, “It’s not fair! They didn’t even have anything nice to say until he started smiling around them! Junhui’s mine.” He pouted, making Jeonghan coo at him as he sat down, Joshua and Seungcheol in tow. Junhui just blushed, slapping the taller boy’s shoulder, before slipping his hand underneath the table and holding onto his lover’s, making Mingyu immediately perk up. The taller boy’s imaginary tail began wagging, making Junhui giggle and the others groan knowingly. 

Later on, as the pair made their way back to Mingyu’s house, hand in hand, Junhui suddenly spoke, “You know, I’ll always be grateful to you. You changed my life completely. You’re the love of my life. Thank you, Mingyu, for helping me become the person I’ve wanted to be.” Junhui leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. As he pulled away, he could feel the other smile, bringing his free hand up to cup Junhui’s face, rubbing his thumb gently across Junhui’s cheek. The taller boy leaned down after a moment, pressing soft kisses to the beauty marks painted across the ex-actor’s face. The feeling made Junhui giggle, enchanted by Mingyu’s touch. 

Mingyu pulled away after a moment, and smiled down at his boyfriend, before saying softly, “I didn’t do much. You became the person you were always meant to be, Jun-ah. All I did was accompany you on your journey. But, I’m glad I did. I got to see you change so much in a matter of months, and I’m so proud. Thank you, for letting me in, for letting me love you. I can only hope for the next lifetime, too,” Mingyu skipped ahead, before turning around and saying lightly, “You now, I’m grateful for that woman and her cursing you. If not for her, I might’ve not been able to have you, and have gone on this journey with you. I’m glad you were cursed, since it brought me to you.” Mingyu smiled at him teasingly, expecting the other to roll his eyes and shove him. 

All Junhui could do was just that, before grabbing his hand and continuing on towards his lover’s house. 

‘Yeah,’ he thought, smiling to himself, ‘I’m grateful for it too.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> andddddd we're done~ finally wrapping up a fic that took me months to write and be happy with yayyyyyyyy  
> I hope you guys enjoyed the fic as a whole, I really worked hard on this and it took a lot of time and motivation to write ;-; I'm honestly not someone who can write chaptered fics for fanfests because I need the instant gratification of posting but I did it!!   
> I hope y'all like this ending, I tried to add a bit more of the other boys in (did y'all see my little 96 line moment hehe)  
> jungyu are happy and everything is right with the world ^-^  
> please leave any final thoughts below!! and check out my other fics if you'd like hehe
> 
> twt: littlekittenhui


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